


My Little Honey Bee

by Katsuke



Category: Bitty AU freeform, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: All Women Are Queen!, Breast Fucking, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Ecto-Penis (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), F/M, Flirting, Friends With Benefits, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Lil Bro - Freeform, M/M, Masturbation, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oral Sex, Protective bitty, Sex Toys, Tall Bitty like 15 in, Underswap Papyrus (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:07:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 123,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24422518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katsuke/pseuds/Katsuke
Summary: This started as a domestic morning One Shot inspired by the Story Bitty House by BlamefulSea but I can't stop myself anymore!Summary:Honey Bee is a lil bro bitty, 15 inches tall adopted to ease the loneliness of a young adult woman. Her special soul amplifies emotions to the point where she is easily overwhelmed and it is up to him to help her. After finding out kissing is the most efficient way to drain her soul, he realizes he wants more, but even though they flirt and love each other very much, can she ever see him as more than just a bitty?
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Original Female Character(s), Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 325
Kudos: 194





	1. My Little Honey Bee

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Bitty House](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886086) by [BlamefulSea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlamefulSea/pseuds/BlamefulSea). 
  * Inspired by [A Bitty Horror](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11199117) by [poetax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetax/pseuds/poetax). 



A soft cutesy song crescendoed in the quiet room. The lively accoustic version of the tune accompanied by the vibration of the phone made quick work of waking the human. She stirred with a sleepy whine, her hand snaking out from under her pillow to blindly reach for her phone. Barely opening one eye, she pressed the snooze option on the screen and buried her face back into her pillow with a long sigh. She breathed in deeply, her rib cage expanding slowly under his skull. She usually slept on her side and any normal day, he would be curled up against her chest, nuzzled into her comfortable breasts, but it was the first heat wave of the year, and they had both agreed it was too hot to cuddle. Maybe when she’d get around to fixing her air conditioning, they could tolerate the generated warmth of their usual embrace, but until then, he was happy to just sleep on her plump hip instead, head resting on top of her side and his long skeletal limbs stretched around her, gently grasping at her exposed skin.

Alerted by the sound of her alarm clock and her shuffling around in bed, the prince and the tyrant made their way into the bedroom, jumping on the bed to greet their master. The striped Prince took place on the cushion she kept for him next to her own pillow while the white calico Tyrant flopped on the spot in front, nuzzling the top of her head into the human’s sleepy hand with a soft purr. The bitty locked eyes with the white purring furball. She was gloatingly claiming the first pet of the day, her yellow irises gleaming with pride and challenge. He huffed in response. He’d let it slide for today. At least she wasn’t bullying the Prince off the bed this time. 

He shifted his head to look to the other side of the bed and watched the other feline sit straight up on his pillow. He always sat that way, his lengthy spine curved in the shape of a vase while he kept his front paws straight and head high. The way his striped tail circled his hips to curl up around his front paws always made him look so noble and majestic, hence his nickname. He was watching over his master carefully, waiting for her to wake up a bit more before he would start voicing his morning need.

Tyrant let out a squeaky meow, extending careful claws to tap the unmoving hand above her head, demanding her owner to pet her. The fingers twitched into the soft fur and she chirped some more. She was awake, he knew as much from the slightly different rhythm of the movement under him. She was just enjoying the attention her three companions were giving her. The sweet tranquility of the moment was interrupted however, when the phone starting ringing again with the chiptune love song before she snoozed it a second time, quicker than before. Her hand stayed on the phone and she swipe at it to check the time, then open her email account to check if she had gotten updates overnight. He glanced past her shoulder and saw one about a new chapter update. He heard a soft gitty giggle that made him raise a brow and look more closely before he recognized the title. Ooh.. that one was a smutty.

“sure you got time for that this morning?” he warned her with a smile. She didn’t reply, simply huffing in resignation.

She slowly turned on her back, giving him enough time to crawl onto her stomach as she moved and set her phone face down on her chest.

“Good morning to you too,” she greeted him with a smug yet sleepy smile. 

“g'morning queen bee,” he greeted back as he sat crossed leg on her. “sleep well?”

“Like a rock” she commented, rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

“eww morning breath,” he teased.

“Hush, mean bee.” She covered her mouth, embarrassed.

“i’m just kidding, don’t worry.”

She was about to reprimand him for his bad joke when the song started again. He appreciated how the alarm was made to start soft, with a low volume and gradually get louder. He remembered other alarm clocks that would just either let out a shrieking beeping sound or suddenly switch music on at full volume, startling him awake every time. This was a smoother and way more pleasant way to wake up. He looked down at his human’s face. Her eyes closed, she listened to the looping song without snoozing it. After three loops, he pinched her side, making her twitch awake again. The Prince also chimed in with a croaky protest and she lifted her left hand to pet his face. He bumped her hand affectionately and meowed again, coaxing her to get up as Tyrant purred loudly from her side, unpleased she was being ignored.

It was a team effort, but finally, they got the human to get up. The Lil Bro bitty jumped off the bed, followed by the two felines as she swung her legs off the bed with a sleepy whine. He didn’t wait for her and headed to the living room, teleporting to the top of her desk to sit and watch over the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. He knew she would follow her usual path: out of the bedroom, into the kitchen, would walk past the kettle, turning it on without checking if there were any water left in it - there was, he had made sure of it this time - then would turn the corner to the living room to pick up the kitties’ bowls to wash them while they swirled around her ankles, each meowing up at her impatiently. After preparing their food, she would head back through the kitchen to the bathroom. Was she going to close the door this time? 

He watched her feet shuffle on the tiles as she made her way through his predicted path, the two furry companions finally quiet as they ate, and after a pause, she close the bathroom door behind her. Huh, apparently she did. Not that he minded either way. It was just funny to him how some mornings, she did not care and some, she preferred her privacy.

He dropped down from his observation spot and using his magic, he levitated her favorite mug onto the counter. With a quick glance to make sure Tyrant was not bothering the Prince as he ate, he got up on the counter and opened the instant coffee container. He dosed the mix of sugar and coffee the way she liked it, and sat down on the counter, listening to the bathroom sink turn on as she washed her hands.

She then made her way back in the kitchen and like clockwork, the kettle ended its heating cycle with a click just as she lifted it up from its base. He watched with an amused smile as she sleepily moved to the counter, glancing in her mug to check the dry mixture before pouring in the boiling water. She added a cloud of milk and stirred her morning beverage with an affectionate look until it turned an even light brown color. He waited for her to take her first sip before commenting.

“Wish someone would look at me the way you look at that coffee in the morning.”

She hummed in bliss in response before grabbing a tiny yellow cup on the shelf. With a familiar motion, she close the instant coffee container, putting it back in its place before grabbing the honey bottle next to it. She squirted a generous dose of the sweet liquid in the tiny cup, replacing the bottle in its original spot as she tipped the kettle, the hot water mixing with the honey in sugary vapors. She used her spoon to stir the sweetened liquid and added a drop of milk to cool the boiling beverage down, effectively turning it a cloudy beige color. She then handed the yellow mug to her waiting bitty, placing a soft kiss on his skull.

“There you go my little man,” she cooed at him. He loved being called that. It reminded him he was indeed the only man in her life at this point, excluding the furry prince of course, but cats didn’t count. 

Apparently, since way before she had adopted him, she had been single. Maybe that was why she had chosen to get a bitty in the first place, out of loneliness. She was a sweet human. She had her flaws of course, but she made it up with the amount of love she could give to the ones around her. That was partly why he couldn’t understand she wasn’t being courted all the time. She was so loving and positive. She also had a nice figure, maybe a bit on the chubby side, but she cleaned up well, smelled amazing and overall looked like a colorful bubble of life when she wore her favorite dresses and outfits. Of course, that was after her first, if not second, cup of coffee…

She held her own mug like it was the most precious thing in the world as she made her way to the living room and plopped down in her computer chair. He joined her by teleporting straight from the counter to her desk, where his proportioned lounging chair waited for him. Sitting down, he resumed drinking wordlessly. It was a comfortable silence in the dimness of the small apartment. She didn’t like switching on lights when she didn’t have to. The sunlight filtering through the heavy curtains in the living room were providing enough lighting to move around safely and gave the place a feeling like time was paused at dawn. The silence was only broken by the sipping sound they both made as they drank and sometimes the faraway noises of the city past the large covered bay window of the living room. The cats, done with their breakfasts, settled in their usual spots to clean themselves and prepare for their first nap of the day, while she watched affectionately over them. Those were perfect mornings in his opinion. 

He saw in her eyes she was toying with the idea of turning on her computer. That was the second variable of their routine. Chances were if she did turn it on, she would end up making herself late for work. He glanced sideways to her twitching fingers. 

With a sigh, she wrapped her fingers back around her mug, gently bringing it to her soft lips. She glanced his way, noting his judging eye sockets trained on her.

“Plans for today?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as to not break the morning’s quietude.

He considered his options for a few seconds. “Prob’ly gonna watch some more netflix,” he answered, looking up. He then peered back at her with playfully narrowed sockets, “or maybe watch some porn.”

She took a sip without reacting to his teasing. Probably still too sleepy. Maybe some other time…

“Any recommendations?” he added.

“For Netflix or for porn?”

He sputtered into his mug, barely managing not to drop it and she grinned at him, visibly proud of the effect her morning repartee had graced her. He wiped his face with his gray hoodie, catching himself before he could inquire what her recommendations for porn could be. 

“I think that one show based off podcasts would pick your interest.” she suggested after another quiet sip. “From what I saw the other day, it looks really psy… psyke… psycha…”

“psychedelic?” he interjected with a questioning look.

“Yeah that.” 

“if it’s the one I think you’re talking about, it looks like the animators were on an acid trip.”

“It’s totally that one.”

The bitty gave her a curious look and she chuckled. She explained how she had look up where the show came from after trying one episode. The premise and concept sounded really interesting but it really wasn’t her style. This was something she wouldn’t mind him watching without her. The prospect of watching the colorful and chaotic show at his own ease pleased the small skeleton. This was something he really appreciated of his relationship with her. As long as he kept up with certain rules, he was pretty much free to do his own thing. He had heard some bitty owners expected their bitty to basically shut down when they were away, going as far as putting them in a cage or locking them up before leaving for work. He was a laid back bitty and it’s not like he moved around much during the day, but he couldn’t see himself being actually locked up with barely any distraction for several hours. 

With her, he was free to watch movies and shows, go out onto the balcony, play with the cats and pretty much do anything he wanted. She didn't even ask him to clean the apartment, simply requesting he'd not make it any messier. She considered him more than an intelligent pet: He was his own person, with his own needs. It even went further when she had discovered he was not as asexual as she originally thought. She said she didn’t want him to infect her computer with possible viruses so she had provided him with a list of safe sites for him to… he blushed slightly at the memory of that conversation. He hadn’t really used them a lot, but the intention had touched him. 

The soft sound of her mug hitting the desk drew him out of his thoughts. Her drink completely gone, she leaned back in the chair, eyes closed, visibly mentally preparing herself for the day. He looked down her exposed neck, following its line along the skin before it disappeared underneath her loose tank top. She had yet to take her shower this morning and her skin gave off a slight sweaty smell. She still smelled good to him, but he couldn’t wait for her to use that sweet floral shampoo so he could revele into its clean aroma. The first few weeks she had used it, he thought he was going crazy with how much he wanted to cling to her head. Like a bee attracted to the sweetest flower, he kept sniffing her hair, twisting it around his tiny fingers and at that time, he thought he had become enamored with her because of it. Finding out it was the shampoo that smelled so fine helped him snap out of his obsession, and in the end, he had gotten used to it. That being said, he had definitely forbidden her from ever switching hair product again.

His eyes moved back to her face and he paused himself. She hadn’t move for a while. 

“...”

Using his magic, he flicked her forehead and she jerked awake with a surprised yelp.

“You’re gonna be late,” he scolded her with an amused smile. And people thought _he_ was the lazy one around here.

Her eyes narrowed at him and she grumbled something that was half way between a fuck off and a thank you before getting up to hop in the shower. He looked down at the abandoned mug on the desk. She was going to leave it there, wasn’t she. Such a slob. An adorable slob, but a slob no less.

\----------

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BONUS!!

DOUBLE BONUS!

Prince Syko and Speedy who inspired the two felines in this short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's out of my system now!  
> Would you like to read more?
> 
> Can you guess the name of the song and the mentioned netflix show?  
> I'll give you a hint for the song: It's an Undertale Fan made song so cute it melts your heart!
> 
> Thank you BlamefulSea for this wonderful inspiration that plagued my morning!


	2. My Sweet Honey Bee~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something good happened and Honey Bee revels in his human's unusual confidence.

My Sweet Honey Bee (2)

  
  


He dragged his tiny hand on the laptop’s touchpad and clicked the button, adding the audiobook he selected to the wishlist on the site. Today, his Queen had given him the special mission of finding the next book they would listen to together. They had finished the last one on their list the night before and this one was apparently a sequel. He had hesitated for a while before adding it to the list because even though the summary said it was the third book of the series, the premise sounded completely different: While the first two parts had taken place in the present, first in an old apartment complex then in a research facility, this one was set 200 years later on a moon colony graveyard, which confused him greatly. He had decided to give it a shot regardless since both the author and the narrator had not disappointed them so far.

The idea of listening to an audiobook with someone was not something he had initially thought he would enjoy. He always thought it was the kind of thing that was a solo experience, preferably with a set of good noise cancelling headphones for maximum effect, but once he had tried it, he was hooked. 

It was all because of that one time, her headphones were busted and she had wanted to put on an audiobook as she drew on her tablet, while he chilled with the Prince in his cat bed. She had asked him if he minded she listened to it instead of her usual music that day, because she had started it earlier and couldn’t wait to hear the rest. He hadn’t mind of course, Expecting to doze off to a boring reading voice. Instead, he had then been entrailed by the story. It had kept him on his toes with suspense, action and intrigue throughout the rest of the novel. They would both sometimes gasp, laugh or comment as they listened, often pausing it so they could discuss and speculate on what was coming next chapter, other times rewinding to catch a detail they had missed. It was like watching a movie, but with your eyes closed, leaving it to your imagination to create the images in your head. They since then had taken on the habit of waiting for the other before continuing the book, much like they would for a tv show.

Subscribing to the site for a small fee, they were given a credit for one free book each month. Since it had taken them more time than that to complete the most recent selections, they ended up with extra credits and he had been given permission to browse through the site for one or two books for himself. He still planned on waiting for her to listen to them, but if she didn’t like them, he could still keep them in their library for him to enjoy during the day.

As he clicked on the pad to browse more titles, he heard the telltale noise of the Prince getting out of his hidden napping spot. The feline rounded the corner and looked up at the bitty with a sleepy look.

“Good evening m’Prince,” Honey greeted him with a mocked salute. “I take it it’s about that time already?”

Prince blinked slowly at him and turned around back into the kitchen where the front door was. He sat down comfortably in front of the door and mewed softly. The small skeleton glanced at the clock at the bottom of the screen and nodded to himself. It was about the time she would usually get off the bus, meaning she would be around in just a few minutes. 

As predicted, just a few moments later, there was the jingle sound of keys coming from the front door and his human walked in. She was greeted with the happy purring of the prince and after hanging up her keys and access card, she bent down to pet him. As she got back up, Honey shortcutted onto the kitchen counter to watch her lock the door behind her with a pleasantly relieved sigh. He knew she didn’t really like public transports, it always drained her, specially nowadays, and she would only start to relax once she was out of her work clothes. 

“Welcome home,” he sang with a sympathetic smile. He watched her kick her shoes off and waited for her to spot him. She walked over to kiss his skull with a smile.

“Thank you my sweet little Honey Bee,” she purred in response, making him raise a brow in surprise. She seemed oddly… charming? Did something happen at work? or on the bus? He held his questions, not wanting to break their usual routine and watched her wash her hands then move to her bedroom to change.

She hummed happily as she threw her bra and shirt in the hamper and replaced them with a dark tank top. She took a moment to stretch before shimmying out of her jeans and slid into a pair of comfortable pyjama shorts. She apparently didn’t plan on going back out tonight. She exited the bedroom, followed by Tyrant who had been disturbed from her observation post at the window, and made her way to the fridge to pick what she should cook for them tonight. He stared as she bent forward into the fridge, her butt wiggling to an muted tune that was probably playing in her head. Those were very short pyjamas...

“Honey,” she called, interrupting his fixing. “you good with chicken alfredo tonight?”

He nodded, forcing his socket away then realizing she couldn’t see him, he voiced his answer. “Chick’s good.”

She popped her head out of the fridge with a sly grin. “Do you mean me or the bird?”

He chuckled, “the bird’s the word.” 

She let out a giggle, then closed the fridge, bringing the retrieved pack of chicken breasts and the brocoli she got to the counter. At her request, he went back to the computer and put on one of her lounge music playlist. He saw her shoulders relax as the low bass beats echoed in the apartment and she shifted her hips to the slow rhythm of the song. It wasn’t unusual for her to dance and step to her music as she cooked, but something was different today. As she tossed the cut chicken pieces into an oiled pan, he decided he had waited enough.

“Did something good happened today?”

She didn’t stop her movements and rinsed off the cutting board as she let out a hum, thinking. Her body language changed a bit, like she was trying to rationalize her thoughts.

“Well it’s nothing, really,” she finally answered. “I’m making it a bigger deal than it is really.”

“Would you mind sharing with the rest of the class?” he asked with a renewed curiosity. No matter what it was, if it made her happy, he wanted to know about it.

“Well...”

After a pause, and after making sure the heat under the chicken was moderate, she began to recount what had happened: She was having an okay day a work and was joking around with some guys from another department when, after she had made a rather clever pun, one of them had laughed and caught her into a friendly hug. 

Honey frowned, suddenly concerned. 

He knew his Queen didn’t like to get physical with humans, even less with guys. He didn’t know the details, but he knew she had trust issues. And unless it was someone she had known for a long time, she preferred to keep the physical contacts to a minimum. To have a man suddenly hug her, in public, in her work environment… how had this ended to be good for her? 

“It wasn’t an inappropriate hug or anything,” she quickly added when she caught him staring at her. 

“So he says…” he grumbled lowly.

“It wasn’t. He's a good guy. He just got carried away by the complicity we had at that moment and it made the joke even better…” she assured him with a gentle smile. “But it did make me uncomfortable.” She looked away, her smile turning more embarrassed. “But then two good things happened!”

She turned back to the pan to stir the meat, trying to hide her giddy smile. If he didn’t know any better, he would think she had a crush on the guy who had hugged her, or on the one who’d had possibly come to her rescue. Knight on a white horse kind of fantasy, saving her from the unwanted embrace. Except, he did know better, so he tossed those thoughts to the side and waited for her to continue.

“The hug lasted just a couple of seconds and I was too slow to react, kind of frozen in place. But then, my colleague gave me a look, like he was asking if I was okay,” she continued as she added the vegetable to the cooked meat, stirring it all together with a pensive smile, “I was kind of touched someone noticed I was uncomfortable and took the time to check if I was okay, without making a scene of it.”

Honey sighed in relief. Of course they would. Her colleagues liked her alot, respected her and considered her an important member of their team. If anything, the fact she was the only woman in their department made them even more protective of her. If only she could see how other people cared without having to doubt herself all the time.

“The fact it may have look awkward enough for him to notice kind of… validated my feelings, you know? Like I wasn’t imagining things and it gave me enough courage to go talk to the guy after.” She turned from the stove with a proud, happy smile. “I told him I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but the next time he would feel like hugging me, I would much prefer we fist bump instead,” she chimed, raising her fist toward her bitty for emphasis. She then returned her attention to her cooking, adding a premade sauce to the mix and starting up some water for the pasta while it heated up. “I know it seems silly, but the fact I was able to tell him how I felt and him accepting it, made me feel really good.”

“That’s called standing up for yourself sweetheart,” he hummed, his socket lidded affectionately as he looked upon her. “and it’s not silly, you should be proud.”

She giggled, back to happily swinging her hips as she cooked. When the sauce and pasta were both done, she shuffled back to the counter where he sat, observing her and she locked eyes with him. Something in her eyes was sparkling and he wished he could name the feeling that bubbled through his soul at that moment as she leaned over him with that soft smile. Her energy was different, like she was radiating something that made her skin glow. He liked seeing this side of her, however rare and fleeting these moment were where she believed and loved herself. It made her smile brighter, her hips sway more in her walking. It was like she was a new self. He only wished she could stay like that all the time.

“Confidence looks good on you,” he observed, his skull raised toward her face. Her eyes squinted in joy at his praise. There was a moment of silence before he caught on to what she wanted. She still couldn't voice her need, but in this moment, her body was speaking loud enough. Her lips parted.

“Can I..?” she let out with a shaky breath.

He stood on the counter and raised his hand to gently caress her cheek. She nuzzled into his touch, closing her eyes, and with only the slightest pull, he guided her face to his and pressed his teeth to her lips. He felt the shiver going through her body as she released a pleasant sigh, her soft lips pressing back against him. Her thumbs gently rubbed his femurs through his skinny pants and he let out a soft hum into their kiss.

She tilted her head slightly to the side as her body moved with renewed ardor. Her generous breasts bumped against him, her hips hitting the side of the counter in her forward movement. He rested his other hand above her cleavage to steady himself, his fingers on her face caressing her cheek as waves of loving affection poured over to him. She was like a pond of crystalline water under the warm sun: when the light hit her, she couldn't help reflect it onto others, leaving the depths her core in the shadows. Even now, as she felt confident, loved and appreciated, those feeling were redirected, trickling toward him through their bitty bond. Sometimes, he wished she would be more selfish and allow herself to bask in this love she, herself, craved and deserved so much. But he knew she took pleasure in passing it on, and he could never deny her that.

His mind still reeling from the overload of feeling she was sending his way, he backed away gently, ending the somewhat chaste kiss with a flick of his tongue on her lips.

She slowly opened her eyes, looking down at him with a slightly flush face, mirroring his own skull for sure, and took a few calming breaths. After a few minutes, her lips curled into a pleasant smile.

"Are you hungry, Honey?" She asked, her tone teasing at him.

"Starving," he replied with a knowing grin.

She smooched the top of his skull with a giggle and swiftly moved back into the kitchen to grab their plates and place the servings on the table. 

" _ Bone _ appetit!" She chimed as he sat with her.

  
  


  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't mean to get heated at the end there but...
> 
> The domestic fluff has taken over my brain.  
> ༼ つ ◕‿◕ ༽つ ~ ♥


	3. My Lovable Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dirty dishes talk and reminiscing  
> then Honey Bee gets naughty..

My Lovable Honey Bee (3)

A smooth jazzy playlist filled the background and his foot tapped the beat as he leaned back against the wall on the counter. He had the perfect view of his Queen’s backside, her generous hips absentmindedly swinging to the slow rhythm of saxophone and piano as she was kept elbow deep into the hot water. She hated doing the dishes. To be honest, she hated pretty much all house chores, but she voiced her dislike of washing dishes with a passion. She was only pacified by his presence near her, having him to talk to while she scrubbed a week’s worth of dirty pans apparently making it so much more bearable. 

Sometimes, he would help out too, by levitating the clean dishes away into the cupboards, but tonight he didn’t feel like it. He much preferred focusing on the love filled wavelengths her soul kept oozing. He could feel it from all the way over there. She had been doing so all evening, like an overflowing well of tender affection, and he knew it would only last so long before it dried out and she went back to her usual self doubting and insecure self so... he wanted to enjoy every second of it. 

The sun had gone down, hidden behind the neighboring apartment building and as what was left of the sunset filtered through the living room’s bay window, the sky offered its warmest summer sorbet shades of pinks, oranges and lilac. The colorful lights reflected on the back wall and tainted the right side of her figure, chiselling her curves with bright edges. The sweat that had formed on her face from the scalding water sparkled like little jewels on her skin. She would need a shower after this.

They - well she - had been at it off for the last hour or so. They had talked about many things as she cleaned: a movie she wanted to watch, the cats’ antic during the day, her work, the random google search he did that had an unexpected turn, and so on. He took the opportunity to tell her about the audiobook he had put in their wishlist so she could add them to the cart. 

“A moon graveyard?” she questioned with a confused look on her face. “How does that relate to the story?”

“Well it’s a multiverse based series, so anything goes I suppose,” he shrugged, hands linked behind his skull.

Her eyes lifted toward the ceiling with a huff, trying to move an unruly lock of hair out of her face. She expressed her doubts and suggested they look at the reader reviews before purchasing it. Regardless if it fits with their original series or not, the prospect of a book about a zombie apocalypse on the moon was something he looked forward to. He chuckled to himself and eyed the rest of the dirty dishes next to the sink.

“You’re almost done,” he encouraged her. “Hang in there kitten.”

“Would be faster if you pitched in and-”

“tsk tsk,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “If you wanted a maid, you should have gotten a Baby Blue or a Papy.”

She grumbled to herself, reiterating her hate of chores before falling silent and turning her attention back to the task at hand, quite literally. 

The music continued to fill the air around them and the bitty felt himself drift into a light sleep. Behind his closed sockets, the images danced for him. Flashes of his last day at the bitty center floated back into his mind. 

**

He recalled the center wasn’t in a good shape. The bitties were well cared for, but the store front had been neglected over time and it wasn’t unusual for the bitties to be transferred to another, more popular center. Over all, there couldn’t be more than a dozen of bitties available at his center, almost half of them being Baby Blues along with a couple of Inks, a Dream, two Sansy and a pair of Edgy brothers. He was getting along well with the other skeletons, even the edgy ones. He had learned over the weeks not to push their buttons and they would leave him alone or, on the contrary, seek his company at times. He looked after the Baby Blues that had come after him. He knew they wouldn’t stay long, being so popular and whatnot. He would spent his days chilling with the Sansies and sometimes tagged along with the Inks when they went into the art room. The other Lil Bro had been adopted just a few weeks prior and he was half expecting his own transfer was just around the corner when a rare customer had come in.

At first glance, she looked like the typical gloomy girl with her dark clothes, her weak posture and eyes downcast. He figured she would either go for a Baby Blue or the Dream. Those were usually the types human adopted to lift their own moral. Sometimes it worked, other times, the bitty’s contrasting personality clashed with theirs too much and the bitty would be returned within a couple of days. It was always a hard hit for the little bubbles of positivity that they were, but they usually settled back easily with another family soon after.

He had watched her as she talked to the owner of the center. There was so little traffic, he usually covered most of the shifts himself, with his wife coming in a couple of times a day to help with the meal preparations. As she waited for him to bring back the survey forms, she had paced anxiously until she found her way in front of the glass wall that separated the storefront from the bitties’ playroom where they hung out during the day. He had taken the spot in one of the higher hammocks and watched as she observed the bitties in the room, each somewhat displaying their best in hope to attract her attention. The tallest of the Ink showed her the drawing he’d been working on and though he couldn’t see her face well from his position, he had spotted her lips curling into a small smile. She had dug through her purse and taken out a small sketchbook, opening it to a random page and showed it to the Ink in turn with a shy smile. The Ink had squealed in delight, jumping excitingly. 

_ ‘So she’s an artist,’ _ he had thought to himself. _ ‘Guess it will be an Ink then.’ _

He couldn’t hear well through the glass, but when the owner came back and started asking her question about her home environment, he heard her say something about cats and he had hummed to himself, wondering if the felines would be fine with the creative and energetic bitty. He had lost sight of her when she was brought into the interview room where they usually have the customer meet the bitties for their first supervised contact.

As expected, Dream was called in first. He was a trendy choice, given their abilities. But he had been brought back to the playroom soon after, slightly dejected. The golden eyed bitty had settled back in a swing as the Inks were called upon. Curious, he had hopped down from his suspended bed to inquire the Dream about the human.

“Girl’s too gloomy for you, Dream?” he asked him with a teasing smirk.

The other bitty shook his head, shifting his tiny feet under him to get the swing going. “Nope, I assure you she doesn’t need me as much as you’d think,” he replied with a knowing smile. “The Inks aren’t going to cut it either, I’m sure.”

He gave him a questioning look, but the smaller bitty just hummed. Shrugging, he made his way back to one of the lower hanging hammocks. And just like he said, the Inks returned, talking happily between themselves. Before the door had closed, he had spotted her sitting in the other room and was surprised by the defeated look on her face, as if  _ she  _ had been the one rejected this time. He was starting to wonder. The owner called in the Sansy that wasn’t sleeping and just as the door was about to close again, her eyes lifted up to meet his and he almost fell out of his hammock.

He felt a surge of protectiveness come over him. Her eyes felt full of fear and uncertainty, yet there was something hidden under there and he felt a powerful instinct wanting to draw out that inner strength. He had made his way down to the door and had waited impatiently, selfishly hoping the Sansy was going to be brought back. The lazy bitty’s interview had taken an eternity, but in the end, the door had opened again and he had to restrain himself not to rush out. After the Sansy had shuffled back in the playroom, he had called out to the owner, saying he wanted to meet the human too, earning himself a questioning look. It was indeed unusual for him to be eager to meet humans in general, but this one was different. Without waiting for further authorization, he had pushed past the man and had hopped onto the table in the room, catching the girl by surprise.

Standing in front of her, he plunged into her eyes once more. She had stared at him in shock but had held his gaze nonetheless, only slightly leaning back, her shoulders hiking up in defense. She looked like she was expecting to be hit, her eyes full of hurt, yet there it was again, that inner strength weaving its way through her wide colorful irises. They had stayed like this for several minutes, staring at each other in silence under the watchful eye of the now very confused owner. Suddenly, he had grabbed both her cheeks, and his eyelights glowing, he had spoken firmly. 

“You are stronger than you think. No one can ever hurt you as long as you believe in yourself. And when it’s too hard, let those who love you be your strength.”

Her eyes had widened even further, a storm of mixed emotions swirling in them before large tears started to trail down her face. He had held her still as she let out a choked sob and her arms reached around him to bring him into a tight embrace.

He had left the center that very afternoon, never to return.

**

The gurgling sound of water moving down the drain tugged him out of his sleep. He blinked slowly, looking around to find his human had gone through the entire pile of dirty dishes. He smirked proudly and let out a yawn as he stretched his lazy bones. He noted the playlist had stopped and glancing into the silent living room, he wondered where his hard working woman had disappeared to. Given the sink had just finished emptying the used water, she couldn’t have gone very far. At that very second, he heard the shower turn on and he glanced toward the bathroom to see light leaking out the door that was left ajar.

_ ‘Almost missed it,’  _ he thought.

He swiftly hopped down the counter and shuffled his way to the door, peering inside carefully. He didn’t really want to peek at her but he had to do it. It had been on his mind all day.

She had already gotten in the shower, her silhouette blurred behind the shower curtain was moving, shifting lazily as she let the water hit her body. He got up on the closed toilet seat, chuckling to himself. The way she hummed, he could tell she hadn’t heard him come in. His smirk grew wider on his skull and he brought his hands on each side of his teeth as he shouted.

“My my! My Queen, what a perverted shower.”

She yelped in surprise and he heard her feet squeak on the sleek surface of the tub as she fought to steady her footing. After safely regaining her balance, she grabbed the shower curtain, pushing it aside so she could glare at him. 

“ Honey Bee! What the heck!?” she yelled, her wet hair clinging to her flushed face, hiding her body behind the curtain. “What are you talking about!?”

“ It gets  _ turned on _ when you get naked,” he snickered loudly. 

“Honey!!”

“ Knows out to get you  _ wet  _ too~”

“HONEY BEE!”

He dodge the bar of soap that flew his way and ran out as he heard her muffle her own laugh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naughty Honey Bee...  
> ;)
> 
> Random fact...   
> Every time I write, I have the swing song Cinnamon Girl by Dunkelbunt's chorus that floats in the back of my head.
> 
> "Hey my little honey bee  
> You’re far away that´s hurting me   
> I miss you darling far away   
> your warm sweet smile this summer day"
> 
> As many swing song, it's catchy as heck and well.. Honey Bee!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	4. My Sticky Honey Bee Part 1 ***

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey reaps the benefits of his “friendly” human in more than one way.  
> And now I’m wondering if I should raise the rating to E…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hot stuff coming through!!!!  
> ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪
> 
> updated on September 14, 2020
> 
> This chapter changed!  
> doubled in size, triple in content, quadrupled in-  
> well... you'll see.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the improvements!

My Sticky Honey Bee *** Part 1

It had been a good few days.

His human had surfed on a wave of confidence for three days now. She had channeled her newfound energy to get some of her less favorite chores done, leaving their apartment in a cleaner state Honey could ever remember the place being.

Later that afternoon, after a wonderfully cooked meal, they both moved to her bedroom, leaving the chill beat playlist playing on her computer in the living room. It was just loud enough to set a relaxed ambiance as they moved around the room. She had decided to use what was left remaining of day time to tackle the black hole that was the back of her closet; where old clothes were tossed unceremoniously or where the ones that didn't fit her anymore were packed hoping ‘one day she’ll fit in them again’.

He had pushed the pillows around on the bed to make himself a makeshift lounging chair where he would have the best spot to both see all she was going to pull out of there and at the same time not be in the way when she'd splay them out on the bed. She had gotten a box from work to put all the clothes she wouldn’t keep in, mentioning something about a donation box she had spotted on her way to work.

She began by clearing out the bottom of the closet, finding some stray socks in the process. After putting the ones she could salvage in the laundry hamper, she discarded the rest that were full of holes. She then moved on to a closed box that was sitting in the right corner. There were bold letters scribbled on it: SEASONAL.

When she put it on the bed, he sat up to look at the content.

“Oh so that’s where it was!” she exclaimed as she pulled out a black beanie. She put it on her head and he noticed there were two little black triangles at the top, giving the hat cute little cat ears.

“That’s cute,” he commented, chuckling as she looked in the mirror next to the closet, pinching the ears.

“Must have put it in there when I moved in and forgot about the box.”

He blinked at her. “Wait, how long have you been living here again?”

Her fingers paused pinching the fabric, eyes going up as she thought. “Um… 4 years I suppose?”

He stared at her for a few more seconds, then sighed in resignation, “Somehow, I’m not even that surprised.” He then looked back at the box, “What else is hiding in there?”

“Let’s find out!” she clapped her hands together excitingly and sat on the bed.

She looked so adorable with her cat eared beanie still on her head, even if it contrasted with the blue spaghetti strapped camisole and shorts she was wearing. He had a feeling she knew she wouldn’t get to wear it this year, given it was the end of spring already, and he kept himself from making any comment that could temper with her good mood. She was still fine, but he had a feeling that by the end of the week, all of this positivity and energy would have dried up, leaving her tired and insecure again. 

He had seen it before. 

She would start by finding herself silly for being so happy, then would manage to find things that she had missed or done wrong while she had been in high spirit, then would beat herself over not being able to keep herself up all the time, bringing herself back to being lazy and hesitant if not downright depressed. Once, she had gone from one extreme to the other. One day she was dancing and singing and the next, she was crying that she had forgotten to pick up sugar at the grocery store. Ok so her periods may have played a role in that one, but still…

“Oh my, that’s old,” she commented as she unfolded a large piece of fabric. It was white but was worned out with time, the fabric having turned a weird greyish yellow and several stains dirtied it all over.

"I can't even tell what it is," he said, tilting his head, trying to figure what it was.

She carefully shook it, visible dust crumbling out of it. Without a second thought however, she put her arm through one of the sleeves and threw it over her shoulders. It was obviously too small for her and she couldn't close the front but…

"Is that a lab coat?" He asked bewildered. He didn't know her to be the science type. 

"More like my old paint smock from when I went to art school." She fiddled with the buttons before giving up and simply leaving it open. He quickly saw what she meant.

The cuffs were dusty and grey with old clay stains, splashes of paint, ink, and other muted colors layered one another… especially around the chest area, he noted. It was obviously also not very comfortable, the sleeves wrapping tightly around her shoulders. The fabric also looked rough and dry. She quickly shuffled out of it and threw it on the ground with the previously discarded socks.

"Too bad. I can't make rags out of it and it's too stained to give away. It'll have to go in the trash."

She gave it one last look before moving on to the rest of the box. There were a couple of turtlenecks in there, but when she tried them on, the necks were so tight it almost choked her. Since they were cotton, she cut them up into pieces to make rags and moved on.

A few pairs of shorts were thrown in the donation box, along with two pairs of shoes that looked almost brand new. Those had not fit to begin with, she told him, but she hadn't ever taken the time to dispose of them.

Watching from his pillowed spot, he noticed she didn't look very pleased as more and more clothing turned out to apparently be a lot smaller than she had thought. There was a feeling of frustration rising within her; When she came across a bright blue one piece bathing suit at the bottom of the box, her lips finally twisted into a frown.

"I can't believe I used to fit in this. I've gotten so fat now…"

Uh oh.

Honey sat up, suddenly a little more concerned. What had started as a cute and fun trip down memory lane was starting to cross over into melancholy territory which was neighbors with sadness and depression. He really didn’t want her to cross over to those two. 

“Heh, everyone grows out of stuff eventually,” he tried to reason. “Besides, I prefer my women curvy,” he added with a wink.

She let out a small laugh but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

How he wished he could just take those feelings away, replace them with happy emotions, confidence, and joy. He wanted to get inside her mind and overpower all those thoughts… like Dream bitties could…

He suddenly recalled an old friend who did just that with him so long ago. He had shown Honey the extent of his abilities on more than one occasion when fights had broken out among the bitties at the center they were, pushing positive emotions onto them until the tensions passed and they would settle their arguments. He had explained to Honey back then that all bitties had a small part of this potential in them, just that Dreams, and originally Nightmares, had an affinity, a natural talent for it given their nature. When Honey had asked, he had given him pointers on how to read others, just enough to quell his anxiety in times of need. 

He recalled being told each person had their own imagery when it came to how they kept their emotions. Some revolved around sound, their soul giving off a song that corresponded to their mood or being, other kept theirs organized in a figurative box or drawers inside their soul, some groomed their emotions like plants, with the roots representing their personal convictions, the leafs being their fleeting emotions influenced by passing winds; others kept them flowing like liquids, rivers or torrents, navigating their emotions like they were on a boat; the possibilities were infinite. His friend had explained that once the correct imagery was figured out, it was somewhat easy to reach in to read the person’s soul. To influence it, he just had to find the right _way_ and _timing_ to do so. Those were important, otherwise the emotions projected could be lost to the void and the bitty trying could seriously injure his soul.

In the case of his human, he had already figured out she kept her emotions in a figurative well deep in her soul, keeping her feelings inside her, flowing yet bottled up somehow. He also knew it was like both a sponge, because of her empathetic nature, and a prism, magnifying whatever emotion was thrown her way before expelling it onto others. 

Of course, she was not completely aware of this. She often described herself as hypersensitive or overly emotional, getting easily overwhelmed by emotions that weren’t necessarily her own, and if she did understand the well metaphor he had explained to her in the past, he didn't think she fully comprehended it either. This was one of the reasons she had gotten a bitty in the first place and even though he never understood why she had not gone home with a Dream bitty from the get go - not that he complained! -, he felt he could be the one who would help her get better. 

And he did! 

A little…

Just by being by her side, by making her have someone to care for, by taking her mind off things, and making her laugh that sweet adorable laugh of hers. He enjoyed her company, loved her little quirks, and her flaws even more. The way she was lazy yet hardworking, a slob but liked to wear pretty things; she was soft spoken and didn’t like confrontation but was always up for helping others. It was a shame no matter how strong she was, she always inevitably ended up doubting herself, always overthinking the smallest thing and dragging herself back in the darkest part of her mind. Again, he wished he could push aside that part for her, shine light onto the deepest part of her soul. She could shine so brightly herself to the point she was blindingly radiant. He only had to show her.

As he watched her put away the cursed bathing suit in the donation box, he felt the resolve grow in him to try his best to chase away the darkness in her heart, if only for a moment. A plan started to etch itself in his mind.

She was capable of absorbing positive emotions and reflecting them onto others and the process would usually leave her elated. If he could use this process to his advantage, maybe he could get a cycle rolling. The next time he would feel her mood drop, he would make sure to try to send his own positive feelings, his trust, his love and admiration toward her, making her reflect it all over again, cycling the process. With this method, he could possibly maintain her in good spirits for weeks on end. He just had to wait for the right time and try it.

His smile tightened with resolve as she continued to pull out old clothes from the box. Her smile had receded into a closed expression, soft yet confined, marred by a string of inner thoughts he could easily read on her face. She had stopped making comments on every item she brought out of the old box and had resigned herself to simply disposing of them quickly, like she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. That is until she found a tiny box at the bottom. Her eyes went wide in recognition.

“Oh wow, I didn’t know I still had that,” she whispered thoughtfully. 

He watched with renewed interest what had suddenly taken her mind off her previous train of thought. She opened the small box and for a second, he thought she had kept a small bouquet of dried flowers. He stood up to take a closer look.

In a way he was right, these were indeed small flowers she held gently in her hands. However, these were plastic flowers, washed off white petals glued and stitched together with green leaves stuck to a glittery elastic band. Before he could wonder if this was a hair accessory, she slipped the band over her wrist, showing him it was meant to be more of a bracelet then a hair tie.

“What is it?” he asked, watching her face relax as she looked at her decorated wrist.

“It’s one of my corsages from my high school graduation.”

He had a vague notion of what a corsage was, basically a flower decoration reserved for a grand or special occasion and he knew high school graduation was indeed something most humans referred to as an important night of their life. At least in the movies it was. However…

“One of them?”

She giggled and he felt his soul lift at the sound. She paused for a moment and all of a sudden, it was like a lightbulb had turned on in her mind. She got up from the bed and motioning him to follow her, she quickly exited the room. Confused by her sudden mood change, he scrambled off the bed and followed her into the next room, which she used as a workshop and storage for her art supplies, tools, old sketching books, and albums. She used a step to reach the higher shelves that lined the wall as she explained what she was looking for.

“I’m pretty sure I have an old picture of it somewhere,” she said as she flipped through a photo album. She skimmed through it before replacing it and taking another one. “This was the first time I ever got to pick a ball gown and I kind of made a fuss about getting that particular dress. It might have been childish of me, but I still think it was the prettiest thing I ever wore.” 

She replaced the second album and moved on to another, her eyes fiercely shining with determination. He was surprised by her emotional shift given only a few minutes ago, she had seemed so down, but now that she had a goal, something to show him, she had turned herself around completely. As he watched her pick up a fourth album, he realized this was probably a good chance for him to try out what he had thought of before. 

“Ha! there it is!” she exclaimed in victory, dropping down from the step. She flipped a few pages then turned the album toward him, pointing to an old photograph. “I was about 17 years old at that time. My father didn’t trust my prom date to get me a corsage so he bought me one.” She pointed to the picture.

Honey didn’t notice the flower in question right away, wide sockets busy staring at the young woman in the picture before him. He recognized the general shape of her body, the roundness of her smiling cheeks but... this girl… she was so different from the woman he knew. She was standing next to a wooden staircase, all smile and happiness as she posed for the camera, a delicate makeup bringing out her sparkling eyes, lips full and colored tastefully, her skin visibly younger and smoother highlighted with a touch of glitter. Her face was framed by curly loose locks that cascaded onto her shoulders, the rest of her hair brought up into an elegant hairdo decorated with tiny pearly white flowers. She stood tall, wearing a pair of black dressy high heeled sandals, her legs bare up to mid thigh where the blue pencil dress ended. A line of small white flowers traced the top of her stomach, just below her breasts where a glittery veiled train split from the front to run around her ample hips, fluttering gently behind her ankles. The dress overall looked sparkly and metallic yet sober and dark. Finally, after taking in her beautiful figure, he spotted the two corsages she had mentioned. One, the white one, adorned her right wrist, just like it was now, and another, this one made of a single pink rose, hugged the left shoulder strap of her dress. 

Honey was speechless. He blinked a few times, looking up at her to see her proud smile before returning to the picture to marvel at it. She giggled again, apparently pleased with his reaction.

“It’s pretty, isn't it?”

_Pretty?_

  
  


Forget pretty, she looked like a fucking goddess! 

He wanted to tell her that, but the words were caught in his throat and he only made a choked squealing noise, which made her laugh again.

“So, funny story. This,” she pointed at the pale pink flower decorating her bust on the picture, “was a real flower, the corsage my father bought. My date gifted me the other one.” She pointed the other flower on the picture. “I loved both so I wore the two of them for the whole night. I had so much fun dancing that we kept going until almost everyone had left.” She sat back on the ground next to him, her eyes closed as if she was imagining it in her mind. Given the smile on her lips, he was sure she was.

“Lucky guy,” Honey whispered, a pang of envy stroking his soul at the thought of someone dancing with her all night. 

She opened her eyes, squinting happily at him. “Well, that’s a long story of its own.” A shadow crossed her features and he held his breath for a second before she pushed the memories aside to resume her story. “Late in the evening, he and I were still dancing. He would twirl me around, spin me, then hold me at arm’s length before twirling me back in his hold. We weren’t good dancers, but we were having fun, until…” she paused, closing her eyes again.

“Until?” he urged her, impatient to know.

“Until it started raining flower petals all around us,” she giggled, motioning around the room with her hand.

“What?”

“In the midst of our dancing, the corsage on my chest got caught and basically exploded while he was spinning me, making the petals go flying all around us while we continued to dance, unaware.”

Honey’s eyelights blurred over. He could see it. His Queen spinning in colorful spotlights almost in slow motion, the dress’ train floating around her hips, her arms stretched in graceful movement while rose petals danced around her. Her face bright and radiant with pure bliss as she lost herself to the music. He could see her move in front of him, hand stretched out towards him, inviting him to join her.

When he blinked again, the dreamy images were replaced by the sight of his human, his lovely Queen sitting next to him, her eyes close in dreamy reminiscence, her soul overflowing with delighted nostalgia at the fond memory. It poured out of her like a waterfall, the sweet memory of a beautiful night filling her with positivity as she recalled feeling beautiful, accepted, special, having fun with the simplest pleasure of dancing late into the night with someone she loved. 

This was it. This was what he wanted with her. He wanted her to feel, to know how wonderful, how exceptional she was to him. He wanted to be that someone that made her feel that way. He wanted her to keep those emotions, never let them falter, never leaving her side. 

“It must have been magical,” he whispered, almost afraid to break the spell of her blissful memory. She hummed in response, tilting her head. “But you know, I think you are ten times prettier today than you were back then.”

She opened her eyes to look at him, her soft gaze falling on him with a gentle unconvinced smile. As he feared, he started to feel the flow dwindle as she returned to the present, self doubts slowly clouding her mind. 

“Makes me feel so old,” she sighed. “I wouldn't be able to pull it off now.” 

He latched on to the last waves of joy she had graced him with a few moments ago, focusing on them as he stood, refusing to let her fall back onto herself. He closed the distance between them and climbed onto her lap. He looked up at her, his soul burning with his desire for her, fuelled by the images of her, hold out her hand, beckoning him to join her on the dance floor where she’d hold him close, where he’d nuzzle into her soft embrace like they were the only one on this planet. He never wanted that image to leave him.

“You’re right. You were but a girl back then, but look at you now.” He continued as he looked down at her delicate wrist, his fingers gently brushing against the fake white petals as he trailed his touch up her arm. His eyes followed his bony phalanges on her flesh until they reached her shoulder. “Should you be wearing this dress today, the world would pause spinning just to glance at the _woman_ you’ve become.” 

If she did, he wouldn’t be able to look away for one second. Though her face had taken on a little age, traces of innocence all but washed away by time, it left her with this air of maturity that her playful attitude sometimes betrayed. Her body on the other hand... her hips had developed even more since then, not to mention her burst, and it would only make the dress fit her even more, hugging all the right places, making her look like the most beautiful goddess, an angel sent to this plane, just for him. She was the most perfect being to him. Gentle, lazy, kind, perseverent, caring, self-doubting, strong, funny, beautiful, charming...

He wanted all of her. He wanted her to feel beautiful and wanted and sexy. Wanted her to know how she was the first human he ever trusted. How special that made her to him and how he wanted to be by her side, always; he wanted to touch her, cuddle close to her, feel her soft skin under his hands, her breath on his bones as she whispered secrets to him.

His Queen Bee.

He didn’t realize he was already reaching out to her, pushing all of his affection, his want, his need toward their bond. Like he was standing at the edge of her crystalline well and dumping buckets after buckets inside the overflowing well. He could feel her, her liquified emotions mixing with his as he felt them reach her soul, plunging into the depths of her already overflowing well. Before he could realize what he had done, her soul had reacted... explosively.

It instantly gushed like a geyser with bright pink tainted waters, rushing back toward him like a torrent, flooding his mind, powerful waves washing over him, leaving him unsteady on his feet, an intense warmth rapidly spreading through his bones honing in on his pulsing soul. 

He heard her take in a sharp breath. Shivers traversed her skin, spreading from where his fingers touched on her shoulders down her arms. He saw goosebump rise on her neck and he smirked satisfyingly when he heard her swallow. He was so close, he could feel the heat radiating off her skin, coupled with a thick pulsing sound that reverberated in his skull. When he looked up at her, his face felt hot, burning almost, his eyelights flaring in desire, his tongue thick behind his teeth. He noticed the light sweat forming on her temple, and her eyes which were growing confused as she looked at him. 

“Honey?” 

His vision tunneled, the edges blurred like they were surrounded by steam. All he could see were her lips, her neck, her cleavage heaving before him; all he could feel was the heatwaves throbbing out of his soul like an infinite echo, filling his skull with want. He reached out with a trembling hand toward her face. His bones felt hot, and kept getting even warmer with every breath he took. Wait, was he panting? 

“H-Honey,” she stuttered, making him pause. “What… are you doing?”

Her soft voice, his name rolling on her tongue, every word made him feel at ease, made him want her even more. Have her say his name again and again, each time with less restraint until she all but moaned it out. He realized he was about to lick her neck, teeth slightly parted, tongue ready and moist, almost drooling. His sockets went wide. What _was_ he doing?

He recoiled at the brief moment of clarity, allowing him to look away from her to look at the bony hand that was traveling on her skin. 

His sockets widening at the sight of the glowing magic swirling between his joints, a glowing ooze slowly overflowing onto his phalanges. He stared at the liquid, feeling its burning warmth travel on his hand. That liquid, why did it look so fascinatingly tasty?

“Honey..? you’re… glowing. Are you ok?”

Her worried tone snapped him out of his trance and he quickly hid his hand, vaguely aware that if this was affecting all of his joints, it was moot to hide just his hand. He needed to get his magic under control, quick!

“I’ll… be right back,” he said blankly.

Without waiting for her response, he shortcutted away, back into the kitchen. He slipped as he landed, his foot slick with the orange moisture that was covering the bottom of his feet. It made him slip again when he tried to take another step so not taking any chances, he shortcutted again, this time in the bathroom. With a flick of the wrist, he closed the door and locked it, then not trusting his step, he shortcutted a third time into the big bath.

He still slipped again on the smooth surface of the bath, but he didn’t try to get back up, panting loudly. Sitting still, he instead motioned his hand up and turned on the faucet, turning the cold water knob all the way. Water started to fill the tub, the cold liquid making a sizzling sound when the first wave hit his bones. He laid down, fully clothed, waiting for the water to rise and soak his entire body.

He was still panting, but this time, a new feeling was rising within him: Panic.

What had he done?!

He had tried to push his own feelings into an already saturated soul. What was he thinking? He had _just_ been thinking he needed to be patient and time the transfer right and there he goes doing it at the worst time, and what’s worse, with the wrong feelings! 

He glanced down at his hands, still oozing lustful magic like orange boiling tar. It was thick and slimy and hot even despite the cold water now surrounding him. He looked up at the faucet spewing like a waterfall and dragged himself under it. The water was icy cold and forcefully hit his skull, washing away the sweat that was covering his face. He lifted his face up, sockets closed but mouth open to let the water flow in his mouth, cooling his swollen tongue and letting the water rush past his jaw down his spine. He let it infiltrate his ribcage, flow down his pelvis and the sudden contrast in temperature made him yelp but he stayed there. After a few minutes, the water had turned warm and a light sunset color as the hot magic washed off him. 

He finally let out a sigh when he felt his bones cool down and stepped out from under the water. He tugged at his wet clothes, fighting to remove them so he could wash up properly. His hoodie hit the water with a loud slap and Honey took a moment to watch his chest. There was still a low orange glow coming from behind his ribs. At least it wasn’t completely out, he thought. His skinny pants were a bit harder to get out of, the fabric sticking to his bone and he struggled, laying down on his back to get the damn things off, almost completely submerged in water.

With a triumphant huff, he finally got free and he laid there, immobile underwater, looking at the ceiling past the rippling surface of the water. The sounds were muffled, though he was surrounded by the burbling noise of the running water. It almost felt like a waste to use this much water since he was so small, but he had really needed it. Filling his own tub would have taken too much time and who knows what would have happened in the meantime. 

He peered down at his lower half. His legs were clean but even in water, the magic clung to his pelvis still, swirling around it, waiting for him to allow it to form into something he could use to relieve himself. Maybe it would be best to… 

As if it reacted to his thought, he felt it harden, growing from just above his pubic bones, tugging at the symphysis below in want. He reached out to test the hardness, and almost gasped at the contact. He was so sensitive. There was no way this would go away on its own, he _had_ to…

His mind drifted back to her, her skin under his fingers, the warm pulsing heat radiating off her, her beautiful and soft lips he had been inches from… He felt his finger twitch and close around the girth of his now fully formed ectoplasm penis, the new touch causing a bubbly gasp to escape his teeth. 

Cool water flowed in between each of his ribs, caressing him with cold but smooth touches. Her fingers would be warmer, traveling on his body, stroking each part of him gently. 

His left hand followed after the imaginary fingertips up his spine until they reached his lower ribs that he traced carefully, stroking them in sync with his right hand moving up to tease the tip of his hardened magic. 

There were now several inches of water above him muffling his desperate moan as he stroke his length fully, all the way to the base, phalanges brushing against his pubic arch before tugging his grip upward. When he reached the tip again, he pressed his thumb on the oozing slit, imagining it rubbing against her hand, her tongue, her hot entrance. He gasped at the sudden flashing image of her opening her legs for him, offering her core for him to plunge into and he squeezed his fingers hard on himself.

How long had he been having these thoughts about her? Was that why it had been lust instead of happiness that had rebounded onto him? He hadn’t meant it, but it had to be there to begin with in order for her to magnify it. 

He thought back to her hips, swaying as she cooked while he’d watch from his spot on the counter. The way her shorts wrapped around her thighs, her butt sticking out of the fridge as she bent over, the way her nightshirt would sometimes slip off a little, exposing her shoulder or her cleavage when she’d lean in, kissing the top of his skull, the way her soft breasts felt against him while he’d curl up into her in bed. There was no sensual intentions behind any of the actions, but his eyelights always lingered on her each time.

What if she moved her hips more for him? _On_ him?

A sudden surge in his magic made him gasp a muted shout, his hand stilling on him a moment as several spurts of cum shot out of his cock, breaking the water surface above him. He watched them splat back down in the water, the glowing tendrils quickly dissipating in the water as his hand resumed its motion, pumping a little more out, though not as powerful. 

He had a passing thought that the tub would soon be almost full and he abandoned the caress on his rib for a quick second to turn off the water. The silence returned to the bathroom, drowned out even more by his depth. He didn’t mind being submerged like this. He knew if he stood up, his skull would still be above water level. For now, it was a welcomed sound barrier.

He did not want his human to hear what he was doing.

The image of her surprised face morphing into a hungry expression spurred his magic again and his hand quickened its movement, squeezing around his girth firmly as if she was thrusting deep inside her tight-

“Honey? are you ok in there?”

_Fuck!_

His body shook with a new orgasm, even more powerful than the last, spurred on by his overstimulated magic as he cried out a broken curse into the water. The water turned a darker shade of orange, more of his seed coming out to taint it as she was calling his name again. Her voice was muffled but still so very clear to his earhole and each time, it felt like her lips were the ones stroking him with her words. 

‘Stars, please stop saying my name, I’ll never stop cuming if you don’t!’ he screamed inside his mind. But he didn’t really want that. He wanted her sweet voice. Always.

It took him a few moments, but he finally calmed down and sat up, his skull barely reaching the surface so he stood, gripping the side of the tub for support to let the water rush out of him. He had cleared his head enough that he could maybe voice an answer now. He took another breath before speaking out.

“Yes my Queen,” he called out in response, hoping his voice would keep steady. 

There was a pause and the slight sound of a relieved sigh.

“Is everything ok?”

He smiled despite himself. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just got… a little…” what was he saying? What word could he use to explain what had happened to him without freaking her out?

“I just got a little heated for a second, but it’ll be fine after I cool down.”

There was another pause and he wondered if it was okay. It was summer, and they were in the middle of a new heatwave. Overheating was plausible, right? He didn’t like the idea of lying to her.

“O-ok.” Her voice was timid and unsure. “It’s getting late. So I’m going to go get ready for bed, ok?”

“Y-yeah, I’ll be there soon, you go on ahead.”

“Ok.”

Honey waited for her steps to move away then draped his arms over the tub’s edge with a relieved sigh. At least she didn’t pry into what had caused the sudden heat. He could not imagine himself explaining what he had tried to do and how he had messed up and now his body was all tingly with the need to fuck her-

“Arrgh!” he shouted exasperatedly before throwing himself back in the cold water to help suppress the renewed surge that invaded his pelvis.

  
  
  
  
  


********

[To be continued in part 4.5]

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that started sweet and cute, didn't it?
> 
> Poor Honey Bee bit off more than he can chew apparently~
> 
> I'm curious to know what you think about all this!
> 
> See you soon in part 2!


	5. My Sticky Honey Bee Part 2 ***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to second half of the Chapter 4 rewrite!  
> This one is a smutty beast too so BEWARE!!
> 
> and
> 
> enjoy~!

Chapter 4.5 - My Sticky Honey Bee (part 2)

It had taken Honey about four more orgasms and a few more cold showers to finally calm down enough he felt it was safe to get out of the bath. He had tried to stop himself from fantasizing over his human, but in the end, she was the only thing that allowed him to go over the edge, and cum. After his third climax, he had tried to force himself to picture something else, someone else, even digging back into his memories of his past experiences, but it only served to over stimulate his magic, making it more and more sensitive without bringing him release. When her face had finally popped in his mind after all that work, he had nearly blanked out from the force of his orgasm. While it had felt incredible, it had not been enough, and it only took a few more minutes for his magic to start burning again.

He let out a relieved sigh, wrapping a towel around his shoulders, patting down his arms and legs before turning to his basket to grab his clean cloth- … oh. 

Well fuck.

He hadn’t taken any other clothes or sleeping wear with him before locking himself up in the bathroom earlier and he really didn’t want to put his wet clothes back on. He had rinsed them thoroughly but they were still soaked and had a leftover smell of rancid magic. These were going to go directly in the hamper, no questions about it. 

He unlocked the door and peered outside, the towel tightly wrapped around himself. The kitchen was dark and quiet, like the rest of the apartment apparently. He glanced at the digital clock on the microwave to check the time. It was way past 11 o’clock. How much time did he spend in that bath anyway? four… five hours?

Exhaustion hit him like a truck. He was spent and needed sleep. All of that… purging, had taken a lot of energy out of him and all he really wanted now was to lay down with his beautiful, soft human and cuddle into her wonderful brea-

He shook his head. ‘Focus man! Focus! You just spent over 4 hours maturbating, give it a rest already!’

He grunted in resolve and stepped out, quickly making his way to the bedroom where he paused at the door. He watched the immobile form on the bed noting the slow rise and fall of her side as she breathed softly in her sleep. Good, she had gone to bed like he had suggested. He waited an extra minute to listen in and make sure she was asleep. Any conversation concerning tonight she might want to have could wait another day, and even then, if they never had that conversation, it would be too soon.

He silently stepped in the dark room, going straight for his drawer and carefully opening it, he grabbed a pair of striped boxers and a t-shirt. He quickly pulled them on before throwing the towel onto the pile of dirty laundry on the floor. 

Yeah, they were overdue for some laundry.

This was another chore she hated, albeit not with as much passion as she did the dishes, mainly because they had to go down to the basement of the building to do the laundry. The machines were old and it took about an hour and a half to do one load. In short, it was a pain and time consuming, so she hated it. 

Honey carefully made his way up onto the bed, mindful not to trip or tug too hard on the sheet as he creeped up beside her sleeping form. She was sleeping on her side, her back turned to him and he risked a quick peek to check over her shoulder.

Two beads of light glared at him.

Tyrant squinted her eyes at him, her hold on her master’s arms tightening as she glared at him possessively.

“Sheesh, I get it, I get it…” He backed up slowly, opting to go lay on the pillow on her left. 

He was a little disappointed to have lost his usual spot against her chest, but maybe it was for the best. He could still lay close to her and given his previous predicament, maybe keeping a minimal distance was for the best.

When he finally settled on his spot next to his human, he let out a resigned sigh. He could still feel some of the excess magic running across his being, like a swirling veil that ran up and down his spine. The movement was actually kind of soothing and he turned to his right side, head prompted on the pillow, trying to get comfortable. His eyelights trailed on the sleeping form laying next to him.

It was still rather warm in the room, despite the open window letting in a slight breeze and his beautiful human had pushed back the covers, leaving her body partially exposed. She had opted for a light pink camisole and a pair of boxer briefs as sleep wears tonight. He chuckled lowly. Comfort above everything else. His gaze locked onto the exposed portion of her lower back. He really liked the way some of the bumps of her spine could be seen or even better, the times he could feel them when he’d run his hand on her back… like he was doing now.

His fingertips pressed lightly on the little bumps through the fabric of her top, tracing the length of her spine carefully. As he reached her lower back, she let out a small adorable whine and arched her back under his touch, her hips shifting onto his hand, causing him to suck in a breath. He wanted her to do that again.

With a sleepy sigh, she turned, slipping her left hand under her pillow as she flipped half way on her back. Though he was saddened by the loss of access to her back, Honey couldn’t complain when her head tilted in a cute angle on her pillow, gracing him with her sleeping face. Her eyes were still closed, her breath relaxed and steady escaping her partially parted lips.

Against his better judgment, not realizing he had moved closer to watch her face, he gently cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her soft lips, feeling her breath over his bone. He didn’t often have the chance to watch her sleep since he would normally be doing the sleeping himself, but these few rare moments reminded him how defenseless she could be, all exposed like this, unknowingly offering herself to his gaze. She looked so peaceful, so trusting... His gaze travelled down her throat to her misaligned top; It had moved sideways a bit in her sleep, tugging to the side, exposing her cleavage and the side of one of her breasts.

He let out a shaky breath as his own hand travelled up his shirt, stroking his ribs as if he were touching her chest, his other hand busy caressing her lip again. He really wanted to feel these on him right about now. They always felt so good when she kissed him. His thumb tugged her lip a bit and he felt the tip become moist with her saliva and he retrieved his hand to lick his fingers. He wondered what her tongue tasted like…

“Damn it…” he whispered.

Already, there was an orange glow tainting the edge of his vision and his hand on his rib moved down to his spine. What was he doing? He wanted to sleep, didn’t he?

Why was he getting turned on again? The effect of the rebound should have subsided by now. Why was it that just being next to her, looking at her, was making him hot again?

His fingers grasped reflexively on his spine as she swallowed, nuzzling into her pillow and he felt the want swirl in his magic once again. His previous fatigue forgotten, an urge came over him to be close to her, to touch her, to have her touch him. It was like he couldn’t get enough of her, ever! Her sweet laugh, her kind and happy smile. That little pout she made when she tried to reprimand him. The way she’d get super serious and focused when she was working on something. The way she cared about him, the little things she did on a daily basis that made him feel important. He wanted all these facets of her to be his and his only, for ever and ever.

So why couldn’t he just enjoy this small peaceful moment by her side instead of stroking his spine?

His eyes riveted on her face, he kneaded at the swirling magic in the cradle of his pelvis, feeling it become warmer and harder. Stars what was he doing? She was right next to him! But she wouldn’t know, right? She was asleep, right?

A complaining meow came from the other side of the bed when she turned on her side toward him, the hand Tyrant had been leaning against coming to rest next to Honey’s face. He heard the tumble of the calico cat getting off the bed and leaving the room with a last complaint but he ignored it, his eyelights unable to leave the form of the fingers lying next to him alone. They were so soft, so inviting.

Before he could stop himself, he nuzzled into the back of the hand, feeling the remainder of the feline’s warmth before it could be replaced with his own. His teeth brushed against it in soft kisses while the glow coming from his boxers grew brighter. He let out a short gasp when it formed under his fingers and his hips bucked into his hold. 

Fuck, he was doing it again.

He couldn’t help himself. His eyelights became fuzzy and unfocused as images had resurfaced in his mind, the same way they had while he was in the bath, moaning her name underwater while imagining himself kissing her passionately, licking her tongue, taking her breath away with his bold kissing, claiming her like he had never done before.

“-nngh~” 

His tongue lolled out and he licked the fingers in his hold, restraining himself from nibbling or sucking on them. He wanted to use her hand so bad, but he knew it was wrong. She was asleep. What would she say if she saw him like this?

“My Queen…” he whimpered at the thought.

His mind gifted him a sudden image of her face, eyes hungrily looking at him, her tongue licking her teeth as she intently watched him, her hand stroking his spine, encouraging him while he pumped his cock harder.

‘Cum for me, Honey~’

He arched his spine, cumming to the commanding voice in his mind. He shut his sockets closed, biting back a drawn out moaned version of her name as liquid magic leaked out of him, covering the inside of his boxers with a wet noise.

He waited for his heaving to stop before looking at his juice covered hand. Shit, how many times has it been now? He thought the multiple orgasm thing was normally reserved for women, or so he heard. Why couldn't his magic seem to settle down? It was like his soul was craving something, and only that something would allow it to calm down.

After a moment, he sat up to look down at his lower half and grunted. So much for the clean clothes. What’s more, his magic was still unaltered, hard and glowing in his soiled boxers. The oozing had started again too, leaking from in between his joins on his legs, hips and arms, soaking the sheet under him. He threw his head back on the pillow. How was he still so aroused?!

He groaned loudly in exasperation, then slammed his hand on his mouth.

Fuck! He didn’t mean to do that! It was the middle of the night, his human was asleep, right next to him-

He slowly looked up, his eyelights meeting the eyes of his human who was staring right at him, right at his messy, wet, depraved form on the bed.

_ He felt his sin crawl up his back. _

Her face was bright red, his magical glow giving her blush a blood orange tint in the darkness. It was spreading all the way to her ears and neck. She held her fingers against her dry lips in shock, an unfortunate witness to his masturbation during which... he had called out her name! He felt a new shiver of panic run down his spine. He had lost all sense of when or where he was, completely oblivious to her presence and... Stars! What had he done!? He should have spent the night in the bathroom! Why did he ever think it was a good idea to get in bed with her!?

The heat he felt on his bones seemed almost cooling compared to the scalding sensation covering his face. It felt like it was on fire, and his foggy mind rushed to find the words to justify himself. When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice sounded so weak.

“I… This is not… I c-can explain,” he all but pleaded up to her.

He failed to actually find words that would make sense, distracted by her colorful irises flickering all over him; Her already large pupil seemed to dilate even more. His eyelights darted to her lips just in time to see her tongue unconsciously flick over her dry lips, her gaze still fixated on him. 

Fuck that was hot. 

He felt a sudden throb between his legs and he rolled on to his side to hide himself. This was bad! Was he going to cum again, just from having her eyes on him? She was going to think he was some kind of sick pervert, wasn't she!? 

“Please…” he begged. ‘ _ Please don’t hate me’ _ .

After several seconds of silence, he willed himself to peek over his shaking shoulder. To his greatest relief - well  _ some  _ kind of a relief anyway - he didn't see any trace of disgust on her face. At least she didn’t look repulsed by him. 

His senses were overloaded; he couldn’t read her soul. All he could tell was that the astonishment was slowly etching its way off her features. Her confusion was turning into concern which was steadily morphing into a resolved expression. 

“It’ll be okay Honey Bee, you don’t have to worry,” she spoke softly. “There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Focused on his inner turmoil, he almost did not hear the words she uttered before she moved closer. She sat up next to him, careful to avoid the glowing stains on the bed. He watched bewildered as she forced him back onto his back and moved his hands from in front of him as if to inspect the mess herself. There was an audible gulp as she paused, suddenly uncertain but then she proceeded to tug down his wet boxers.

“M-My Queen… what are you-?” he gasped pathetically, unable to look away from her hands on him.

“It’s ok Honey, I’m here.” she reassured him. “Let’s just get you washed up, ok?”

Her words were like soft feathers brushing against his soul. Her otherworldly kindness made him whine again, a new surge of clementine colored liquid leaking out from under his drenched boxers. He looked up at her, his soul calling out for her. “It’s no use,” he tried to explain. “It keeps coming back.”

This new information seemed to take her by surprise. Her brows knitted slightly above her nose before something seemed to click in her mind.

“Was... was that what you were doing in the bathroom earlier?”

He had thought his skull could not get any brighter.

He covered his face, whining shamefully as if the look on his face was more embarrassing than the still throbbing cock between them. His hands were pushed aside as she cupped the right side of his face, her thumb tracing his cheekbone gently.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” she repeated in a calm voice.

Had she not heard him call out her name earlier? How could she say this? Or had she? And she was ok with it? His soul throbbed at the thought. If she was ok with this, maybe...

He nuzzled into her hand, only now realizing how much he was trembling, his own finger reached up to cover hers as he closed his sockets. He could feel the liquid magic coming off him coating her fingers, but she did not flinch, only gently stroking his cheekbone again to sooth him. She was so wonderful, so strong, so kind. To be able to find him in this state next to her, in her own bed, and yet her face only showed determination, albeit tainted with an intense blush. She was forcing herself to remain calm for him. Seeing her like this seemed to soothe his magic even more, bringing its heavy boiling down to a rolling simmer. He felt so loved. Her previous words echoed in his mind: There was nothing to be ashamed of. 

Easier said than done, but if she was allowing it then... 

“Please,” he uttered, his thoughts jumping all around in his mind. What did he need? What was he asking her to do? “I need to get rid of…” he loosely waved his hand toward his lower body. “You’re the only one that… ngh... can help.” The itching in his magic made it hard to form coherent thoughts.

Her lips pursed into a straight line and she looked around hesitantly for a few seconds. Her cheeks were turning a darker shade of red but when she looked back at him, her eyes shone with resolve.

“Honey,” she called his name, her voice only slightly wavering. “P-Please… tell me how to help.”

Stars, was she really..? Was this really happening? Or was he dreaming? 

She scooched a little closer, spreading her knees on each of his sides so she could angle herself better then paused, seemingly hesitant on what to do next. “How should I…” she looked to the side. “I’ve never… really done something like this before,” she admitted after a pause.

Honey swallowed back his guilt. Was this her first time? No, she had definitely hinted at not being a virgin before. He pushed the doubt aside, focusing on answering her question for now. 

“Your… your lovely hand…” he was almost panting in anticipation. She was doing this, she really was! His soul throbbed nervously in his chest. “... if that's ok.”

“o-ok.”

She swallowed with an agreeing nod and lifted her hand from his face to trail down his chest. His soul throbbed at the proximity. He screwed his sockets shut, unwilling to look at her face, his skull leaning back in bliss at the contact. Her fingers were gentle and warm as they moved over his ribcage. He wanted them to stay there, over his soul, but they twitched lightly on him and continued their way down to brush against his erection. After a couple of tentative touches, her fingers finally wrapped around his formed magic to test its hardness. Oh it was hard alright! She rubbed the tip against her palm a few times before stroking the length down a first time, squeezing him between ring and middle fingers, keeping her thumb up against the length as she moved back up with a steady pressure that made his spine arch.

"Oh fuck~!"

“Don’t worry, just...” she started, her fingers moving on him again, first experimentally but gradually gaining confidence with each noise he made. “Don’t think about anything, just let go.” she added, but strangely, it felt like she wasn’t exactly adressing him.

Honey moaned, his mind clouded by pleasure. His human, his wonderful and lovely human, his beloved Queen was touching him so intimately. He could feel her hand moving on his already burning member, the coil inside him already winding up at the mere thought of it. He never wanted this to stop, but he was unable to keep himself from thrusting harder into her soft hold. He dared a look at her face and saw how she was watching him with a serious, focused expression. Her blush had even receded to a light pink on her cheeks. A smile tugged at his teeth. He loved that focus look on her face.

“You’re... hah, doing so well,” he praised in between huffs of pleasure, watching her face redden at his words.

“C-close your eyes, Honey,” she replied, still hesitant when she caught him looking. “Picture something nice in your head.”

“You’re.. nngh hah~ the only nice thing I... hah~ have on my mind,” he panted.

She let out something that was half way between a gasp and a moan before biting her lower lip to silence herself. Her fingers squeezed him a little more roughly, causing a gasp to escape his own mouth.

“F-fuck~!”

He kept his gaze focused on hers, watching her eyes stay on the movement of her hand on him. She began panting a little of her own, her breath becoming hot and shaky, with most exhales ending up in small whimpers muted by her biting her lip. His eyes also followed her other hand between her spread knees as it inched toward her inner thigh. She had barely brushed against her underwear when she groaned and jerked her hand away, biting her thumb instead.

“No.. I can't… This is so wrong,” she muttered to herself, a torn look on her face.

He was about to tell her otherwise when  _ it  _ caught his attention. He peered down in between her legs and easily spotted the damp spot of arousal in the front. His sockets widened in delight. Was that why she kept her hand away from herself? He kind of wanted to see her do it. Wanted to see her fingers slip inside her like he was the one sliding ins-

“Ah~!” he cried out, his hip lifting to meet her. “Please, yes!”

He stared down to watch her slick hand move on him, a wonderful foreground display perfectly aligned with the sight of her wet covered core a few inches further down. Each stroke was bringing him closer and closer to another climax. 

“I’m… oh stars, fuck! I’m gonna,” he stuttered in between heaving pants. “My Queen, please forgive me I’m-”

“Sssh,” she hushed him gently, her hand moving a little faster on him. “It’s ok, Honey baby, don’t worry, just let it go.”

His soul flipped in his chest at the pet name and once again, he threw his head back into the pillow and let out a long cry as new spurts of magic shot out from in between her fingers.

He was panting so hard, his rib cage expanding quickly despite his lack of lungs. She continued to caress him, soothing and delicate in his post orgasmic quake while looking transfixed at the cum that was leaking on her fingers to splatter on the bed. His sockets lidded in bliss, his gaze locked on her. She didn’t seem to mind it at all, focused as she was on him. 

His mind was finally settling, the blur that had plagued his vision had subsided and the heat haunting his frame had calmed down. Coming to completion by her hand really had been what he needed. His soul was throbbing happily when she reached to cup the side of his skull. Who would have thought, after all that time they had spent together, only flirting as a joke that she’d share his feelings. 

“You’re so amazing,” he complimented her, his new affection tainting his tone. 

“It’s… just a hand job…” she replied, looking away, embarrassed. 

He chuckled at her flustered look. “It was amazing  _ because  _ it was you, my Queen. No one else could ever make me feel like this.”

There it was again, that choked mewling sound she had made earlier escaping her lips. Only this time it was a little more drawn out. Her left hand twitched on her thigh, as if itching to make its way back between her legs. He could smell it from where he was, the sweet scent of arousal... of want. 

The heat washed over his face so violently, he barely didn't hear her next words.

“Do you need... more?”

His socket startled open at the question. She still had her face turned away, but was peeking at him from the side. It had not sounded like a complaint, more like a timid request. He gawked at her perfect tsundere-like pose as she sat back up, retrieving her soiled hand and bringing it before her eyes.

“I’m sure,” she continued with the same hesitant tone, spreading her fingers to look at the sticky tendrils between them, “I can do it better this time.” 

A breeze came in, parting the curtain to let in a bit of moonlight, making her gaze shine with something akin to determination as she looked back at him. Her right hand came up to her lips and her tongue slipped out to lap her fingers, tentatively at first, then as if the juices covering her fingers had hypnotised her, she closed her eyes with a sight, she inserted them in between her lips. 

“Fuck…” he whispered to himself. Did she even know how freaking sexy she was being right now? Part of him wondered if it was really just the magic overload that made his dick stay hard, or if it was her.

Honey gulped, his magic churned to attention at the thought. How could he deny her when she was putting it like that? He had never seen that look on her face and it was… so fucking hot.

“Unless you’re done now…” 

The uncertainty in her voice made him realise he had yet to answer her question. He shook his head vigorously, too much in shock to actually voice his answer. Instead, he stood up and took her hand in his. He pulled her forward, silently inviting her to shuffle on the bed next to him. She hesitated at first, but after a pause, she let him guide her onto her back. He climbed on her stomach, staying on his knees and he took a moment to take in the view. 

Her breasts were still constrained by her tank top. It looked soft and barely held in her ample breasts. He moved in to kiss her, trailing his phalanges on her shoulder gently and she whined softly, turning her face away, offering him her throat instead, which he gladly took, grazing his teeth on the smooth skin. He caressed her chest slowly, feeling her nipples harden under his touch. He wanted to touch them directly so pausing his kisses on her neck, he slipped his hands under her top and lifted it above her breasts. A pleased groan escaped his throat at the sight. He leaned in to lick them but a hand stopped him, holding his shoulder.

He looked up and caught a slightly distressed look on her face before she used her other hand to cover it.

Had he gone too fast? Too much too soon? It didn’t really make sense to him given what they had just done, well, what  _ she  _ had done to  _ him  _ mainly. But he could respect that. 

He backed away, kneeling on her lower stomach and she used this moment to re-arrange the pillows behind her neck, propping herself a little higher so she could look at him. And look she did, her eyes kept running down his form until they met the forming glow in his pelvis, making her bite her lips.

Seeing he was not moving, she trailed a hand up his femur, making him shiver. Her simple touch was enough to make his member leak precum again, drops landing on her skin in soft splatters. She caressed his femur gently, inviting.

“It’s ok Honey,” she whispered, helping him spread his knees. “Tell me how you want me to help.”

Her thumb brushed against his shaft and this time he did not hold back the delighted sigh that came upon him. He grabbed her thumb and squeezed it against his erection, wrapping his fingers around both to rub them together. 

“Like... this,” he grunted lowly. “Is this ok?”

She offered him a reassuring smile and shifted the rest of her fingers to reach in between his legs, hooking them up at the back of his pelvis while her thumb rubbed his cock. 

“Ah~!” he exclaimed with a twerk of the spine that thrusted his hips forward.

Honey’s eyelights glazed over at the familiarity of feeling another’s length against his, while she kept stroking his lower spine, caressing his sacrum and teasing his tailbone with the tip of her middle finger. The crook of her thumb was rubbing on his pubic arch everytime his hips gyrated in her hold, thrusting against the length of her thumb. He was quickly losing himself in the feeling, leaning back on one hand while he moved his hips with the energy of a desperate man. He panted heavily, tongue slipping out, drool leaking out of his parted teeth.

“Mnnngh ah~ yes!” he moaned her name in between huffs. “Just a little... ngh- more!”

His hand behind him slipped on her wet boxers and he suddenly realized how selfish he had been. She may have kept him from licking her breasts, but the wet spot under his fingers reminded him there was another way, a better way he could give her pleasure. He relented on the pace against her wonderful hand to creep his phalanges down behind him, pushing into the wet fabric, blindly searching for the little bundle of nerves he knew he could rock her world with. Before he could find it however, he felt her knee rise behind his hip bones and she pushed her fingers on him harder. 

With her free hand, she pushed on his chest, making him lean back against her raised thighs, blocking the access to her sweet wet spot. She held him in place, a gentle pressure on his ribs. He realized he was still wearing his shirt, stained with so many large patches of wet magic, it was practically see through, why with his soul glowing so brightly in his ribcage.The soft fabric rubbed against his sternum under her hand, extracting more moans from him. He grabbed at her hand, squeezing her forefinger tightly while his other fist continued to rub them together. She slipped her thumb under his shirt to rub his sternum, keeping him agreeably pinned as she stroked the spot right on top of his soul. It had not come out yet, and a small part of him was grateful for it, even if he knew for certain, his Queen would never hurt him if it did. His tongue escaped his jaw and he gazed at her soft face looking intently at him.

“That’s it my Honey Bee, let everything out,” she encouraged him.

And he did, only a few moments later, he cried out her name, sunset tinted magic flying up across her form, covering her exposed chest, almost reaching her face in the process.

He let himself slide down against her legs, sitting on his bony heels while he recovered his breath, completely and utterly spent. He opened his sockets, looking at her to see her staring at the long train of liquid magic across her chest.

“Wow, you got quite the aim Honey,” she chirped, visibly impressed.

He chuckled, “I’d say… huff... you went through great  _ length  _ to make it happen.”

She paused for a second before bursting into laughter and Honey smiled. How he loved that sound. How he loved to feel her elated wavel-

Oh wait, he still couldn’t read anything from her, the prior magic overload had basically fried his ability to read the waters bubbling in her soul. His mind was also still partially clouded by his post orgasmic bliss.

“Feeling better?” she asked him after a moment with a hopeful smile.

“Yes… Thank you my Queen,” he whispered affectionately as he sat back on her middle.

She smiled lazily at him, apparently pleased with his response and the flush look on his face. His sticky seed slithered its way on her chest, slowly flowing like a river in the valley of her breasts. He smirked, strangely delighted at the sight despite the situation. She let out a nervous giggle when she noticed the glowing liquid leak past her bust and starting to slide toward her throat. 

“Mind getting me a towel, my Honey Bee?” she requested, carefully eyeing the liquid.

He nodded and quickly shortcutted out of the room to grab something to clean her with. He located a pile of clean towels and grabbed one for himself. He shrugged off his stained shirt and after a quick inspection, he wiped off the residual magic off his ribs, arms and legs before wrapping the towel around his hip bones. Now that he was sure he wouldn’t be leaving a trail as he walked back, he grabbed a second towel and headed back to the bedroom, hoping his small delay in bringing back the promised towel wasn’t a problem.

When he got to the door, he heard a soft whine, or more like a long high pitched groan coming from the room. He peeked around the door to see what that noise had been.

His Queen was still lying in bed, on her back with her legs up, but one of her hands was lifted in front of her eyes, watching a translucent substance that coated her fingers. She stared at her fingers for a few seconds before wiping them down on her top with a frustrated groan. 

“..the fuck is wrong with me.” she mumbled lowly, covering her face with her arm. “what the actual fuck…”

Honey brow bones rose in surprise at her unusual cursing. There was no mistake about what she had been looking at, but why did she seem so upset?

“Is everything ok?” he asked as he stepped into the dark room. She jumped at his question, wiping her hand again on her clothes.

“Y-yeah, everything is fine.” she assured him with a smile. “j-just taking in the mess.”

He hummed thoughtfully, jumping back on the bed. With a quick glance around, he noted that yes indeed, they - well he - had made quite the mess. His glowing magic had left a huge stain on the bed next to her, along with what he had left  _ on  _ her. It was actually enough to allow her to see in the darkness a little.

“Let me get the light.” Honey flicked his finger toward the switch on the opposite wall and the light flooded the room. It made the magic on the sheet look a little dimmer, which only eased his mind a little.

Honey looked back at her face. She was blushing embarrassingly again, refusing to meet his gaze. He could see her shoulders were tense and he was just starting to be calm enough to be able to feel bits of her emotions again. All he got so far was utter embarrassment, ranking up to shame. A second glance at the mess made him realise that while he regretted nothing, maybe he had gone a little overboard, especially for their first time. It wasn’t at all like what one would imagine their first intimate moment at all. Maybe that’s what was embarrassing her? Did she think he would think less of her because she had shown him a more naughty side of herself?

He chuckled to himself. Silly human, they were both mature, experienced adults; Like she had said, there was nothing to be ashamed of. He did find her blushing face cute as heck though.

“Catch.”

She barely had the time to react to catch the soft towel he had thrown her. At least, it had made her look his way. Her eyes flicking quickly from the towel to him, then back down and she let out a small thank you.

“Only the  _ breast  _ for my lovely Queen Bee.” he said in a sing-song voice, crossing his hand behind his skull with a smirk.

She paused, hands unfolding the towel in front of her.

“Did you just…”

“Punned? Yeah, I know, that  _ came  _ out of nowhere.”

She stared at him, eyes growing wider following him as he went to the end of the bed to open his drawer one more time to get a new pair of boxers. He tilted his head back at her with a wink.

“I can kinda tell you’re thinking too  _ hard  _ about this.” 

“Honey,” she warned.

“I don’t wanna  _ cum  _ across as  _ cocky _ ,” he leaned over and much to his disappointment, there were no boxers left so he settled for a pair of sweatpants instead. “I just thought you could use a  _ puss  _ to get over it.”

“Honey Bee!”

He pulled on the sweatpants and turned to her to see she was hiding her face in the towel, her shoulders shaking with what appeared to be restrained laughter. His smirk grew a little more.

“Alright alright, I can see these are too  _ gutter _ al for you.” He turned back to the dresser, pulling on the second drawer where he knew she kept the tank tops she liked to wear at night. 

She groaned in surrender and he was delighted to feel her mood lift, embarrassment giving way to amusement. Yeah, that was way better.

He peeked behind him to take in her pouty smile, then looked back at the selection of colorful peejays in front of him. He spotted a dotted white tank top and a matching pair of dotted orange shorts. He levitated them over to the bed before turning around just as she had done pulling down her top over her now cleaned chest. She caught his gaze and looked away, throwing the towel toward the hamper, missing it by a mile.

He levitated the clean clothes within her peripheral vision for her to grab. She eyed the two pieces of fabric in her hand for a moment, then looked up at him, waiting. After several seconds of them looking at each other, she finally sighed.

“Would you mind turning around please?”

Honey blinked at her in realisation before apologizing, turning away with his own blush spreading on his cheekbones. He looked down at his hand, half expecting his joints to start glowing again, but everything seemed fine. He waited for her to announce when it was ok for him to turn back around. When he did, he found she had laid back down on her back, her arms covering her eyes again. He made his way back to her side and gently placed a hand on her stomach to let her know he was there. She jumped only slightly at the contact, uncovering her eyes to look down at him. Her eyes were tired but her smile was genuine.

She tapped on her chest to invite him to lay on her and he wasted no time climbing on top of her, sprawling himself across her stomach to rest his head in the middle of her chest with a contented sigh. He too was exhausted. What had happened to him being too tired when he had left the bathroom earlier last night? He was about to ask what time it was but his thoughts were interrupted by the sweet touch and her fingers on his skull, petting him gently. He let out a soft purr as he nuzzled his in spot between her breasts.

He felt her fingers tracing his scapula carefully before moving to caress his spine slowly up and down and he hummed at her touch. Her digits halted their journey on his upper back and her fingers stroked the back of his ribs gently, pinching slightly his vertebrates between her thumb and the knuckles of her forefinger, then letting up and sliding them down his ribs before repeating the motion in a calm, wave-like manner. The way she moved her fingers felt like practiced movements, like she had done this so many times, they acted on muscle memory. It rocked him in his afterglow and he fought the need to fall asleep just so he could keep feeling her touch just a little longer. 

As her kiss-like touches trailed up on the back of his skull, he could feel her muscles tense slightly under him, as well as her heartbeats getting a little faster. She was thinking about something.

“You’re not in pain, are you Honey?” her voice broke the silence.

He smiled despite himself. On the contrary, he had never felt better.

“Never better my Queen,” he answered lazily. Why was she so worried about him? If anything, he should be the one worrying right now.

He opened his sockets, looking at the rising chest he was laying on without really focusing on it. Even now, she felt so confused. He was too exhausted to look in detail, but puzzling waves were definitely coming off her. There was still a whole lot of shame in there too, but it had subsided a little and had been replaced by a bunch of contradicting emotions: bliss and fright, love and guilt, regret and…

He frowned. Regret?

He turned his head so he could look up at her face. He found she was already watching him and when their gaze met, heat spread to her cheeks again but her mouth remained a thin line. That only made him question himself more.

“Are… are  _ you  _ ok?” he asked hesitantly.

She covered her face, breaking the eye contact he had maintained and turned her head to the side, as if she wanted to get it as far away as possible from him. A new wave of blush ran across her face, spreading all the way to her ear.

“I t-told you, everything is fine. I’m not mad or anything, you don’t have to worry about it.”

Well now he couldn't help  _ but  _ worry about it! What did she mean? Was it because he hadn't pleasured her? He had tried, but she had made a point of stopping him so he hadn't wanted to push but…

Wait… did she even want it?

His brow bones knitted together, a pang of panic hitting his soul. Had he misread the whole thing? Sure it had all started weird and he had been unable to read her all the while but, surely he hadn't forgotten to ask for her consent, right?

_ Right? _

Without realizing, his hands had balled up a fistful of fabric on her chest and he had started shaking.

"Did I-" he started but she suddenly sat up.

"We should get the sheets cleaned up." She interrupted him. She held him closer, keeping his skull pressed against her as she leaned to the left. "We wouldn't want to leave and stain or something."

He blinked and looked up at her. Was she serious?

Apparently she was, given she set him back on the floor before proceeding to strip the bed. She bundled up the sheets, tossing in the towels they had used before. He glanced at the clock then stared back at her in confusion.

“It’s 1 o’clock in the night. You’re really gonna do a load right now?” he asked.

Her movement slowed just a tad in reflexion, then she grabbed the pink camisole from the dirty pile and added it to the bundle.

“Yeah… the laundry room is always unlocked so it’s fine.” She looked around, looking for anything missing then looked down at him. “You might want to throw in what you were wearing earlier tonight, yes?”

He blinked at her again. “y-yeah, i suppose.” Those were still in the bathroom. “But why now? Can’t this wait ‘till morning?” 

He kind of understood not wanting to risk staining the sheets permanently, or even sleeping in soiled sheets but… a part of him was a little sad to see the traces of their night disappear so fast. He shook his head, trying to ignore this possessive little voice in his head. 

“ Well I kind of want to get this done fast and also,” she explained as she searched for the little purse she kept her laundry money in, “the laundry room should be empty at this hour.”

oh… right.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Honey scratched his cheekbone, looking to the side. “Not a fan of washing dirty linen in public either. I get it.”

She chuckled and with a last look at her, he shortcutted away to retrieve the dirty clothes from the bathroom.

*****

As expected, the laundry room was unlocked and empty when they got there. They placed all the dirty linen and clothes in the same machine, not caring about the mix of colors in the least and he had watched his human play with the dials on the machine to select the fastest cycle, hoping to get this done and be able to get back to bed. When the machine powered on, all that was left to do was wait.

Honey watched his human work, sitting on one of the washers, desperately trying to get his tired mind to work out what had happened.

His plan to prolong the effect of her confidence boost had backfired on him. He had skrewed up but the timing and intent and it had resulted in a forced heat for him. He was trying to find a better term for it, but he couldn’t. Heats were seasonal and lasted several days. He didn’t really get those anyway, being a skeleton bitty. Sure he’d get horny sometimes, but those moments were not season induced. It only shown that he wasn’t an asexual being, which was fine, he didn’t mind.

But this. 

This had not gone away after jerking off and kept coming back as soon as he thought of her and only had calmed down after he had made the connection between his lustful need and his love for her. She truly had been the one thing that made him feel better. Which was awesome and all but…

There was the nagging feeling in the back of his skull something was wrong. He couldn’t say exactly what it was, kind of like you’d get the feeling you are forgetting something but can’t remember what. It was infuriating and he knew it had something to do with the way she was acting right now.

She had barely said a word since they left the apartment but he could feel the bubbles of doubt and shame coming back. He didn’T like her feeling this way. It was actually the whole reason this ordeal had begun with. But he knew better now than to try and force his feelings onto her. His friend may have said every bitties had the potential to do it, but he clearly had made light of how hard it actually was. With only a bitty bond to work with, he now knew this was too risky to try again. He would simply have to cheer her up the old fashion way, like he had done before.

“What do you call a ghost’s erection?” he asked, smirking to himself. The naughty puns had made her smile earlier. A naughty joke should work just as fine.

She turned to him, visible confusion on her face. “What?”

He winked and made finger guns at her. “A boo-ner~!”

…

Apparently a cricket had found its way in the basement that day.

She stared at him, lips pursed into a fine line. Not at all the reaction he was expecting actually. His hands dropped back down and he let out a nervous chuckle, falling back into silence.

He had nothing against staying in her company in comfortable silence but this was everything but. His previous question rose back into his mind. If only he could get some kind of answer.

“So hum… about earlier…” he timidly asked, peering up at her.

“Lets… not,” she replied, playing with the zipper on her coin purse. “We don’t need to talk about it.”

“Yeah but…”

“Honey Bee. Please.” Her fingers were clenching the small purse. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“o-ok…”

Seemed like he really had misread her all along. His soul sank in his chest. He could kind of understand why she didn’t want to talk about it right now. It had been so weird, and if his hunch about her feelings was right, she’d need some time to process it. Heck, if she was to question why he had to run away in the first place, he too would have said he didn’t want to talk about it. But she hadn’t asked for explanations, simply offering to give him the release - well… releases - he had needed. He was kind of grateful she hadn’t pushed the subject, unsure how he could explain what he had tried to do. Maybe it was ok for them to push the matter aside for now, but he didn’T want them to stay this awkward around each other. She had shown him earlier that they could still cuddle. She had even done that thing with her fingers and it wasn’t sexual or weird. it had just felt... nice.

“So hum… I was wondering,” he started again, trying to keep his voice serious. “What was that thing you were doing earlier?”

She gave him a look, like she was trying to judge if he was still trying to bring up the same subject. He lifted his hand in a reassuring motion. 

“No, I meant, after, you know, all that.” He waved his hand in a circle, looking for the right wording. “You were doing something on my spine with your fingers.” He rubbed the back of his cervicals in demonstration.

“Oh.” Her eyebrows hiked up her forehead and her shoulders relaxed a bit as she seemed to get what he was getting at. “I didn’t really realise I was massaging you.”

Honey stopped his hand on his neck and raised an inquisitive brow bone at her. “Massaging?”

She turned to face him completely, leaning against the washing machine. “Yeah, it just comes back reflexively sometimes since my training at the academy.”

“The Academy?” 

There it was, the relaxed smile he was looking for. She looked kind of relieved for this change of subject. For his part, he was just happy the tension was finally gone, and as a bonus, he was getting to learn another bit of her past. He tilted his skull at his human with a quirked brow, waiting for her to continue. 

“The best 8 months of my life,” she commented with a nostalgic smile. “People who study to be masseurs are usually very kind people, prone to soothing others, using the human body’s energies to relieve pain and help them heal. It felt nice to be surrounded by people like that for several months.”

He blinked at her. Was that what she was doing earlier? Massaging him? It was a strange thing to try to do when he didn’t have skin or muscles. It had felt very relaxing nonetheless so he couldn’t complain. 

She went on telling him, she had been considered somewhat gifted among the students. At that time, she didn’t know what to do with her life and ended up following the suggestion of her father, who’s shoulders she used to massage. It was a trivial thing, but with the picture of her younger self she had shown him earlier, he could easily picture her focused look while she would be studying terms and techniques. She elaborated on a few of some she recalled, but his sleepy mind couldn’t hope to remember everything. His mind was also busy taking in her enthusiasm as she spoke.

“There was this woman in my class, mother of 4, always running left and right, and she was adamant that whenever she got a massage, she could never manage to fall asleep like some do, never really able to disconnect, you know?” She counted the coins in her hand and slid them into the dryer’s slot before selecting the drying cycle and the machine vibrated into motion. “But then, she was my partner when we were practicing with the hydrocollators.” When he gave her a questioning look, she added, “those are a kind of heat pads kept in high temperature waters, around 150 degrees Fahrenheit if I recall correctly, and they’re applied to areas to relieve acute muscle pain.”

“That’s hot,” he commented with a smirk, swinging his legs. 

“Very,” she winked at him, sitting on the functioning dryer. She only stayed on it for a few seconds though, and quickly got off, giving the machine a dirty look before resuming her story.

“That day, I put the pad on her shoulder while I worked on the back of her legs. We had to check regularly with the patient to make sure it wasn’t too hot but when I asked her if the temperature was okay, she didn’t answer.” She leaned back against the dryer, arms crossed in front of her with a proud grin. “She had fallen asleep so deeply, she was practically drooling on my table. It was all good though. Teacher showed us how to check the temperature ourselves. It happened a couple more times too, but only with me.”

They both laughed. It was making his soul dance to hear her recall such fond memories. She was glowing. It was as if all of the previous awkwardness had never even happened. They had fallen back into their thing, chilling, laughing without having to question how they felt. This was their core and he had never realized how much he treasured it.

“What else did you learn?” he inquired, leaning back on his elbows.

She paused to think for a moment. When her eyes shone in pride again, he knew she had another story for him.

“Hot stone massage. With volcanic stones,” she chimed, clapping her hands together.

“Liked to play with fire, huh?” 

She giggled, “more like playing with chakra energies, you mean.” 

She went on to explain that that particular technique worked with the placement of stones on the chakra points of a person before using another stone to massage the muscles which added the properties of heat and volcanic minerals to the process. To people who were sensitive to their body’s energies, this was a difficult but very effective technique.

“Turns out I had to do it as my final practical exam. What’s more, my patient for the exam was a chiki master. So if I had messed up her chakras, she’d be the first to know!” Her voice betrayed her nervousness at the time. But the bitty knew if she was telling the story right now, it could only mean one thing.

“But you nailed it, didn’t you?”

“You bet I did,” she declared proudly. “She told me afterward my technique was flawless.”

“So why are you not working in a salon?” he asked, immediately feeling an uncomfortable tug at his soul when images of her bent over a naked old geezer flashed into his mind. He quickly shook the thought out and looked up to her. Upon seeing her, he felt bad. Her shoulders had slumped, her eyes trailing down to the laundromat’s dusty tiles at her feet.

“ I can’t…” she spoke softly. “Ironically, I found I had a problem with my hips while I was taking the course.”

“Your hips are perfect,” he blankly retorted.

She let out a soft giggle at the blunt comment and they both blushed slightly. After several long seconds, she let out a long sigh, lifting her face up to look at the ceiling. 

“My hip articulations start to burn when I stand too long. It gets pretty bad and after just one or two customer, I’d be unable to walk for several hours if not for the rest of the day,” she explained, her voice resigned. “So when it comes to working in that field, I’m simply not an efficient employee. Heck, I wouldn’t hire myself.”

There was a pregnant pause, the silence only broken by the purring of the machines in the room. Honey nodded silently. This actually kind of explained why she would only wash dishes in batches, limiting her time standing at the sink. He had never realized it was actually causing her pain. He’d make sure to help next time.

He lifted his sockets up to look at her again. She still had that nostalgic look of her face, but she didn’t seem sad, like she had long accepted that was how things were. His sockets lidded in contentment.

“Well lucky me then,” he said, breaking the silence. She turned her face to him with an inquisitive look. He laid back on the washing machine, arms tucked behind his skull, “ that means I get to keep your perfect, relaxing massages all to myself.” 

“Is that so?” He yelped as her face appeared above his, filling his view with her mischievous smiling face. “Perhaps you’d like another go?” she said, licking her lips.

His sockets widened and magic flushed across his face at the innuendo but before he could reply, she had made her move. Her left hand slipped behind him to lift his upper body while her right trailed up, her fingers rubbing at his exposed cervicals, her thumb and forefinger pinching the bones softly in perfectly practiced motions. His body went limp, his socket lidding in pleasant relaxation as he purred softly.

Too bad he didn't get to enjoy it very long.

It was a matter of seconds before he was fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you think you can finally reach something but it slips out of your grasp.
> 
> Honey is lucky his Queen loves him too much to let this affect their relationship.... or does she?
> 
> I hope you enjoy the rewrite!  
> It took me a while but there were too many elements that came up later that I had not cemented to begin with. After all, this was supposed to be a one shot to begin with, so I hadn't really planned a lot on ahead.  
> Now I know where the story in going and this chapter definitely deserved to have more details into it.
> 
> If you had read the original, please let me know what you think of the rewrite (if you even remember what the original was!)
> 
> Should I consider putting a copy of the original in a "Trash" fic, where outtakes would be?


	6. My Careful Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey wakes to find the bed empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos, 
> 
> I'm enjoying this little story so far.  
> Hope you like it.

My Careful Honey Bee

A draft passed through the bedroom and the bitty curled up on himself with a sleepy whine, his hand reaching in front of him in search of the warmth of his human. His tiny fingers blindly stretched out, feeling through the softness of the sheet, the thickness of the comforter and going a little further to grab at the chest he had curled into when he went to sleep. But his fist clasped at nothing. He grunted in confusion and slowly blinked his sleepy sockets open. In the darkness of the night, he looked around... only to find the bed empty. Rubbing his sockets, he sat up and glanced over at the digital clock across the room. 

3:23 am...

He furrowed his brows. It was literally the middle of the night, where was she? 

He listened for any sound indicating she could be in the bathroom, but the apartment was silent. Worry suddenly washed over him. He got up, jumping off the bed and left the room, glancing toward the bathroom just in case, before quietly shuffling across the kitchen toward the living room, tiny feet softly clicking on the cold tiles. He had no trouble navigating around in the darkness and quickly found himself around the corner of the counter where he paused, sadly unsurprised by the sight before him.

There she was, curled up in the corner of the couch, knees up close to her chest, perfectly immobile in the complete darkness. There was a box of tissue beside her but she didn’t seem to be crying - thank the stars - even if her eyes looked puffier than usual, deprived of their usual rest. She was facing away from him, toward the covered bay window, her gazed slightly glazed over. He could feel nothing from her. It was like an empty shell, devoided of apparent emotions, simply focused on maintaining her vital functions by breathing and blinking occasionally. How long had she been out here?

Not wanting to startle her, he knocked softly on the side of the counter to announce his presence. She barely flinched at the sound and shifted her eyes to him for only a moment before looking away, her soul suddenly vibrating again with an anxious hum. He resisted the urge to ask what was wrong. She had explained to him once those words tended to trigger her when she was on the verge of crying, dumping her over the edge with guilt and he didn’t want to risk it. So instead, he carefully walked over and climbed on the couch on the seat opposite of her, still within reach, but far enough to show her he respected her need for space. After all, if she had wanted to, she could have easily cuddled up to him in bed instead of going to the next room. 

She didn’t look at him, resuming her staring into the empty space in front of her, while they listened to the silence of the night. His eyelights glanced around the room and he was unsurprised to find the Prince watching over her from his cat bed at the edge of the couch. Tyrant was also close by, laying on the Tv stand across the room, head resting on her front paws, but her eyes attentively trained on her master. He was grateful she had not been alone but felt kind of bad to be the last one to have found her. He didn’t want to stare, knowing it wouldn’t help, so he settled against the couch’s armrest, following the felines’ example of quiet support.

He closed his sockets, listening to her calm breathing and minutes passed by in silence, only interrupted by the occasional sound of a car passing by that would echo through the open patio door behind the thick curtains. This was all too familiar: He recalled she had done the same thing a few times, months back, when the stress at work had started to overwhelm her. For two weeks, she would get up in the middle of the night, moving to the couch, sometimes with her phone to read, until she would feel sleep claim her back. She had just brushed it off as insomnia and blaming her ‘time of the month’ messing with her. It had stopped as soon as her moral improved. But she had been doing so good at work lately and her periods weren’t due for another two weeks - he already had her cycle down - so he couldn’t figure out what could have caused her to relapse all of a sudden. Unless…

“We should get you some sort of ID…” She spoke with a raspy voice, still not looking at him.

He blinked up at her, the sudden suggestion catching him off guard. Part of him had started thinking she could be beating herself over what had happened a few weeks ago, when she had helped him… yeah that... She hadn’t brought the subject back up after or asked for explanations, but he knew she was thinking about it: She was still as loving and cuddly as before, but she had been noticeably more careful with her teasing, keeping the usual playful flirting to a minimum, so much so it almost felt forced, like she was holding herself back. He didn’t really want to bring up the subject yet either, mentally preparing himself for the inevitable day they would have to discuss it. He thought the insomnia had beaten him into a corner, and that tonight was going to be the night. But apparently, her mind had gone in an entirely different direction. 

“What do you mean, an ID?” he asked, his sockets fixed on her.

“Like… something you keep on you with basic infos. Like your name, address and my phone number, just in case.”

“Well it’s not like I usually go running around outside without you, you know.”

“But…” she said, finally looking his way, the dark shade in her eyes betraying her even darker thoughts. “What if something happens when I’m not there? Like there’s a fire and they evacuate the building while I’m at work? Or what if I get in an accident and can’t come home one night? Or what if you’re knocked off the balcony and get hurt?” Her voice had gradually morphed into a whine as she listed the possible mishaps and she quieted down, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

_ ‘Stars, that’s quite a downward spiral she’s stepping into _ ,’ he cringed internally.

“What about Prince and Tyrant? What did you prepare for them in case they get lost?” he asked, trying to guide her toward action instead of probabilities. “They can’t carry an ID or tell people where they live.”

“They have chips.” 

“Ruffle or BBQ?”

Her mouth cracked into a small smile and he welcomed it with relief. 

“I mean an ID chip... Silly Bee,” she specified, uncurling her body and leaning back against the fluffy couch cushions. To his delight, her body looked a little less tense already. “So if someone finds them, any vet or pound can read the chip and reach me.”

“Well in that case, you have nothing to worry about,” he said, his hands finding their way behind his skull. “All bitty info are kept in the Bitty Center’s Central Database. Beside, unlike our feline friends, I can talk. So if something happens, I can tell someone to phone you.”

“Do you even know my phone number?”

He paused. They didn’t have a landline, her cellphone being all she needed to be reached, and she kept it with her at all time. If he needed to contact her, she had set up two connected email accounts so he could chat from one email and she’d receive the notification on her phone and vice versa. They often used it when she wanted to tell him she was going to be late or, if she stopped by the grocery store on her way back from work, to check if they were missing anything. Since he was always home and usually had the internet open for music and other entertainment, he was able to respond quickly. Basically, he didn’t ever need nor have the occasion to phone her. If something happened and he was stuck outside, or without access to a computer, he would indeed be unable to reach her. He would have to find a Bitty Center to have them pull up her info, but then again, there wasn’t a center around every corner. Also, it was rare but not unheard of, but there was the risk of being pick up by some ill-intended human. Push comes to shove, he knew he’d find a way back but…

He looked up and could almost see the worst case scenarios swirling up a storm behind her eyes, dragging her back into the infernal spiral of ‘what ifs’. He had to put her mind at ease.

“I’ll memorize your phone number,” he promised. “That way, whatever happens, I can call you myself.”

His answer seemed to put her at ease. She opened her arms and reached out to him. Honey carefully made his way to her, crawling onto her lap and he snuggled into her embrace. She hugged him like she had just pulled him out of a river, nuzzling the top if his skull with a sweet  _ thank you _ . As if she had suddenly lifted an invisible barrier, both cats also got up and moved to join them. Prince cuddled into her side, bumping his head on her arm with affection while Tyrant jumped up on the couch’s backrest to rub her face on the side of her head.

Honey felt the tension leave her body as some of the worries that seemed to have kept her up were washed away. Now that she was calmer, he wanted to try and find out what had triggered her sudden anxiety.

“What brought this on, my Queen,” he questioned softly, still tightly buried in her embrace. “Did you have a bad dream?”

She shook her head gently. “I don’t think so. I just woke up and…” she hesitated. “I just couldn’t stop thinking. All sorts of memories and thoughts rushed into my brain and…”

He felt her chest tighten under him and her hold suddenly got tighter but she didn’t say any more. Her lips softly brushed the top of his skull and he had to suppress a sudden need to reciprocate. As if still trying to figure the cause of all this, waves of confusion kept leaking out of her soul... or was it his? They were so close at this moment, the line felt blurred. 

They stayed like this for a few more moments until he felt her shift, her face lifting up in sudden realisation. 

“Wait… What day is it?” 

He paused at her question and had to take a second to think. “Well it’s been the first for a couple of hours now,” he answered with a raised brow.

As if his answer had obviously explained everything, she leaned back into the cushions with a long sigh. “Of course it is…” she muttered to herself. She took another long breath before looking back down at him, an apologetic smile marring her face. “Don’t worry about me, my sweet little Honey Bee. I’m getting close to that time of the month and it’s making me emotional for no reason.”

Honey stared at her, completely thrown for a loop. No she wasn’t. Why would she say that? Did she really think he had no concept of her cycle? In the whole 10 months he had been in her life, she had never showed any symptoms until the last five days before she started bleeding. Why would she suddenly be affected two weeks prior? Why would she lie about that? And what did the date have to do with it?

Noticing the bewildered glare he was giving her, she shifted her face away from him, gently shifting to get up. When he didn’t make a move to get off her, she gathered him to her chest and rose from the couch. She slowly made her way back to the bedroom, leaving the two felines to trail behind her. He didn’t say anything, his sockets continuing to stare uneasily at her face as she settled them back in bed. She finally laid back on her side, cradling his skull so he was close to her chest the way he liked, and let out a sleepy breath.

He called out her name with a worried voice, still confused at her sudden mood change. When she looked down at him, she put on the fakest smile he had seen on her in a long time before speaking.

“I’m fine.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honey Bee is obsessed with routines.  
> He notices patterns and happily settles into them  
> so it's no surprise he's picked up on his human's natural cycle. 
> 
> I tell you, he's not being creepy or anything... 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it's a bit more depressing.


	7. My Friendly Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor drags Honey Bee and his Queen out.

My Friendly Honey Bee

On the next Sunday morning, they had an unexpected visitor. 

They had slept in, as per their weekend ritual, and had just moved to the couch with their warm morning beverages when there was a rhythmic knock on the door. They looked at each other for a moment before she got up, setting her coffee on the counter on her way to the front door. She peered through the peephole carefully and with a surprised huff, she unlocked the door and opened it wide.

He twisted his skull to the side to look at who had come over so early in the morning. Well, not that early, but it was still morning. 

“Ha! She’s alive!!” the person shouted, her voice high in excitement. He knew that voice. He let out an exasperated groan, knowing the morning’s tranquility was officially over...

“V? what are yo- oof,” she was interrupted by her friend’s sudden tight embrace. She hugged her friend back then took a step aside to let her in. “What are you doing here?”

V, short for Vivi, was a bird monster. She had soft pink feathers and a round face, decorated with big, fine trimmed glasses. Two spots of feather crowded the top of her head under her beret in ear-like shapes, efficiently making her look like a mix of an owl, a cat and a chicken. She often reminded him of Baby Blues with her love of star patterns. Today, she had them on her boots and on her puffy sleeved bolero jacket. Her bright pink skirt swirled around her as she shimmied in the kitchen. She twirled around to face her friend, feathered hands on her hips.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t seen you in, like, _forever_!” 

“But I texted you yesterday…” 

V made an exaggerated pout, rolling her eyes. “That was three days ago,” she corrected. She took a quick glance around, spotting the bitty on the couch, before continuing. “I’m taking you out today. I heard there is a new Muffet’s Bakery opening just a few streets down and that her chocolate éclairs are so good, they are borderline illegal!”

He watched his human consider the proposition. She loved all pastries, especially chocolate éclairs. The bird knew what she was doing.

“I don’t know V, I was kind of thinking of staying in and-”

“Girl, we’ve been talking of having a day out for _weeks_ now. You’re gonna tell me I came _all_ the way over here and you’re gonna stay cooped up inside in your peejays all day?

“... that was actually the plan, yeah.”

The bird monster pouted at her. She waited a few seconds, watching her human friend carefully.

“Knock knock.”

‘Who’s there?’ Honey couldn’t help but answer in his head. His human paused, then answered with a sigh.

“Who’s there?”

“Pearl.”

“Pearl who?”

V grabbed her shoulder gently, her eyes fixing her with an imploring look.

“ _Pearl_ -ease come with me?” she begged, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

Honey barely held his chuckles. He had to remember that one. He continued to watch as she hummed, shifting from foot to foot, her eyes up toward the ceiling. He knew the perspective of tasting magic, sugary pastries weighted heavily in the balance of her hesitation. 

“Okay,” she finally let out and the bird girl jumped in joy, letting go of her.

“Yes! I knew you couldn’t resist!” she shouted happily. “Let’s go fill our faces with sweet, delicious magic goodies! Let’s get you dressed, then we’ll get your bug and get going.”

“I heard that!” He shouted from the living room as his human was shoved toward the bedroom. 

The two girls disappeared from his sight by the antics he heard leaking out from the other side of the apartment, he could tell she was trying to get the monster to let her get dressed by herself.

**

They had made their way to the bakery on foot. He listened half mindedly as Vivi filled their walk with small talk, sitting comfortably on his human's shoulder, his hand gently grabbing at her soft hair for support. The two girls contrasted greatly. The bird monster was brightly animated in her bright pink getup, hitting the air with her hand gestures as she exaggerated her stories. His Queen Bee, on the other had gone for a more neutral look, black legging hugging her legs under a grey belted dress with a light black coat covering her shoulders. This suited her perfectly, he thought. It was elegant yet discreet, a perfect fit for her current mood too. Although he liked the way she looked in her colorful outfits, she would often unknowingly get men to turn around to stare after her, and that made him uneasy. He knew she didn’t like attracting strangers’ attention and he didn’t like the way they look at her. Hopefully when she felt like wearing her vibrant outfits again, he would he around to keep the creeps away. For now however, he didn’t have anything to worry about: Her loud friend was both attracting all the attention and keeping any crowd away. He couldn’t tell if she was doing it on purpose or not.

When they came upon the small bakery, there was a line to get in and every table inside was occupied, groups even standing around the tables, filling every space they could see from the outside. Vivi quickly offered they pick up some pastries to go, and find a quieter place to sit down and relax elsewhere. The small purple themed shop was overflowing with customers, but it was their opening day after all, and the shelves were extra packed with delicious looking cupcakes and flaky goods of all kind. All were adorably decorated, some with purple sparkles, some with spider web designs, some, he noted, had bone patterns for some reason. They made quick work to pick the chocolates eclairs, a few croissants, cinnamon buns and cupcakes and made their way out, waving at the short blue spider monster that worked the cashier. Honey was glad to see the business card they were handing with every order mentioned a delivery service. Upon stepping out, he heard his human let out long a sigh of relief. It was kind of loud inside and she was thankful they hadn’t decided to stay any longer. There was a café on the next street corner that serve Bubble Teas and she suggested they spent the afternoon there to catch up. 

The place had a pick up counter but the tables were usually free and a ways from the rest of the shop so it would be quiet and ideal for talking. After picking up their drinks, they settled down comfortably at a table near the front window. Honey settled into his human’s coat on the table, leaning back in it like a bean bag so he could nap in the sun while the girls talked the afternoon away.

He listened to his human tell her friend about the last few weeks at her work. He had already heard all of them before since he inquired about her day on a regular basis himself. But he noted she added details, when she spoke to her female friend, she hadn’t told him. There were winks and giggles at the mentions of certain persons she worked with and Honey had to pause himself from asking more details. He tried to distract himself by watching the other patrons around. There was a Dog monster flirting with a human, a pairs of human girls with a Baby Blue bitty happily chatting away while the bitty listened with stars in his sockets [...] …

Immersed in her floral scent in the fabric around him, he slowly drifted into sleep, rocked by the muted music playing in the shop and the sweet sounds of his Queen’s laugh.

**

He felt a soft yet insistant poke on the side of his skull. It nudged his head until he opened one socket to look at the intrusive finger.

“Hey, bug, wake up. I gotta talk to you,” the hushed voice dragged him out of his nap.

He groaned slightly and glanced around to see he was alone with the bird monster.

“Where is-”

“Toilet break.”

He stretched his sleepy limbs and tilted his head to her, his gaze questioning what she wanted with him. He felt a slight shift in her eyes, becoming softer. She turned to look to the back of the coffee shop, probably where her friend had gone to. He’d say she was looking at him with a mix of concern and mischievousness but when she spoke, her voice was calm and serious.

“She seems to be doing better this year,” she said. After making sure her friend was not on her way back, she turned to him again. “ How is she doing at home?”

Honey Bee stared at her, frowning slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Wha- Really? You can’t tell me you didn’t notice she was depressed since the beginning of the month!” she fumed at him in harsh whispers.

“Yeah, I did,” he scowled back at her. “What I’m asking is what do you mean by ‘this year’? And how do you know when it started?”

She huffed, her round cheek leaning against her feathered hand. “This is the one month she has the hardest time pushing through every year.”

“Why?” His scowl turned to a glare. 

Vivi shook her head, “I’m not sure. She won’t talk about it.” She gave him a gentle smile. “All we can do is help her stay distracted by, like, taking her out for pastries,” she added with a wink. Her eyes shifted on his face, carefully studying him. “You’re not getting enough feed from her, are you?”

He leaned back, arms crossed in front of him, “It’s not a big deal.” His lie was not fooling her.

“Want me to talk to her about it?” she asked and he was surprised by the genuine intention behind her words.

“Don’t you dare,” he uttered sharply, looking away.

Bitties were dependant of their owner’s energy. He had never had any trouble with her, and their bitty bond would keep sending him energy even when they were feet apart, but for a couple of days now, she had seemed completely closed off to him. Not that she didn’t talk to him or cuddle at night, but their bitty link had somehow faded a bit. Where she would overload him with replenishing energy before, he now had barely enough to get through the day. He was sure this was only temporary but the fact their bond seemed to be affected by her current state of mind had worried him.

“You know…” the bird declared with a knowing grin. “She has the tendency of going inside her head a whole lot. And when she does, she may not notice some more obvious things.”

“That's an understatement…”

“Sometimes, you gotta, like, _trust_ yourself a bit inside her.”

Honey paused, blinking at her.

“What?” He could feel the orange blush spreading to his skull.

“Like, you have to force yourself through her defenses,” she continued, stirring the leftover pearls at the bottom of her drink. “She’s building up walls around her soul, thinking it’ll protect others from her unstable mood swings. But if it’s hurting you, you gotta _strip_ those layers down. I know you bitties are good at comforting your owners, so go ahead, make her feel good from the inside.”

Honey nodded slowly, not really looking at her, his mind glazing over with various, very pleasant mental images.

“You two seem surprisingly friendly.”

The bitty jerked his face up toward the sweet voice that had interrupted his train of thoughts. His Queen had returned, sitting back into her chair as she kept an inquisitive look on both of them.

“What did I miss?” she asked with a smile.

The other two exchanged a look. Honey grabbed at the coat he was sitting on, smoothing it out with what he wanted to be an innocent motion, focusing mainly on hiding any color that still tainted his skull. Vivi took a loud slurp of her bubble tea, her glasses shining wickedly as she tilted them on her face.

“Oh nothing really… the bug and I were just talking about getting him some sugar,” she teased, wiggling her feathery brow at him. Honey flicked his face to scowl at her with deadly intent.

“Oh... Do you want one of the pastries from Muffet’s, Honey Bee?”

The bitty grumbled, his fingers ruffling the fabric as he gave the bird a reprobating glare. Her pink eyes sparkled with humor and she let out a giggle, loudly slurping at her empty drink again. After a moment, his shoulders sagged with a resigned sigh and he turned his attention back to his human. 

  
“Yeah… I could go for some of those _sin_ nabuns..”

*******************

**************

*********

*****

**

BONUS!

Vivi!


	8. My Patient Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm has come and Honey has to ride his Queen's tempestuous month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: the subjects I brushed upon in this chapter are inspired by my own life, the retelling of others' experiences and a bit of imagination. Everyone go through things differently and I wish the best for every single one of you.

My Patient Honey Bee (7)

  
  
  


Honey had underestimated what Vivi had told him that day. So far, his Queen had seemed a little depressed, yes, but nothing alarming enough that the bird monster should have been worried.

For the first ten days, the differences were barely noticeable. She would go about their usual routine, though he could tell some little things were still off. On some mornings, she’d need more time to get out of bed. She would sometimes mumble to herself lists of things she wanted or needed to do, probably hoping saying them out loud would help her remember. 

After a few days, he had suggested she eat some monster food more often, hoping it would help, but at that point, she barely even ate at all. Once every few days, she would bring back half of her lunch from work and barely touch her supper, blaming an upset stomach.

She was tired all the time, as if every little thing was suddenly exhausting to do. She’d go to bed early, and sleep in as long as she could. When she did get up, she would get distracted mid walk and stare off for a couple of seconds before turning around, forgetting was she had been about to do. She got extra lazy with her makeup and clothes, not bothering to wear anything but dark jeans and black shirts. It was like she had gone back to that day at the bitty center.

Around the end of the second week, she began to sleep all the time. If she wasn’t working, she was sleeping. He had gladly joined in on the extra napping, snuggled into her arms or simply laying on top of her as she rested her exhausted body, but he could still not feel the usual recharge he got out of laying with her. His human continued to not be well enough to provide her bitty with his usual energy. He had to ration his magic, opting for walking and painstakingly climbing on the couch and bed instead of shortcutting. It was a little annoying, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.

As days went by, she gradually became more irritable from her physical exhaustion and lack of food. He was confused by some of her outburst. They varied from a simple frustrated groans at her unmanageable bed hair one morning, to giving her burnt spaghetti the evil eye, to angrily kicking her shoes across the room after she had tripped over them. At that point, he recognized the familiar signs of her PMS and he had done what he usually did: he plagued her day with playful flirts and puns, making her smile and laugh until whatever had irritated her was a thing of the past. 

  
  


Keeping her mind off things would be easy.

  
  


***

  
  


Keeping her mind off things was impossible.

  
  
  


She was an emotional wreck... and he didn’t know how to deal with it.

  
  
  


On the 18th day, she apparently had gotten into an argument with a coworker and it had thrown her into a panic attack. She had come home hyperventilating, crying and sputtering apologies before locking herself in the bathroom for almost an hour. The noise he heard coming out of there had filled him with dread: Loud choked up whines had dragged out of her throat, like the desperate last call of a dying animal. The sounds hurt his soul. He had tried knocking on the door, asking how he could help, but that had just made it worst, choked apologies mixing with the renewed sobs. When she had come out, she had looked so numb, so exhausted. She had stared into nothing while she made her way to her bed, not getting back up until the next morning. When he had joined her, she was asleep, her face stained by tears, her brows still furrowed into a pained expression. He had pet her head gently, caressing her face and hair until the creases on her forehead lessened and she relaxed into a more peaceful slumber.

He could only watch as she started to call in sick at work, not even bothering to set up her alarm anymore. She’d just wake up hours before her usual time, and after an hour or so, would text her boss she wasn’t coming in. He didn’t understand why they seemed okay with it, but he was glad. On days she actually went out, she would sometimes come home after just half a day, her eyes puffy from the tears she had fought back on her way home.

By the 23rd day, she was hugging the walls, even as she walked in their apartment. Her shoulders were hitched up like she was getting yelled at, and would only speak in murmurs, fingers constantly held to her temples, like she had the most horrible of headaches. She had become so emotionally sensitive, any loud noise would make her whine in pain and grasp at her head. The sound of a door slamming would throw her body into a fit of shivering sobs.

The bitty was so confused and scared for her. He did what he could to help, making sure the rest of the pack were fed and that Prince got his daily meds when she’d forget in the morning, he’d stroke her to sleep when she laid wide awake in bed, prepare her a calming Gold Flower tea in the middle of the night, or add an extra monster candy to her lunches. He hoped she was going to make it through. Vivi had said it was like this every year for a month. How was this possible?

It was hard, but he couldn’t figure out what else to do, so he kept quiet, silently wishing to the stars his precious Queen would get better soon. 

He simply had to be patient.

  
  


***

  
  


Honey stirred in his sleep. 

He felt gentle fingers stroking his skull, tracing his bone cheeks and jaw with tender attention. He was surrounded in calm, sweet, loving wavelengths slowly lapping at his tiny soul, steadily refilling his drained magic. Soft lips brushed his skull with equally soft kisses, whispers leaking past them to sweetly caress his bones.

“I’m so lucky to have you, my sweet little Honey Bee… You’ve been so patient with me. Thank you.”

He purred quietly, curling up some more into her arms, rocked back to sleep by the rhythm of the trickling magic pouring into him and her gentle embrace. His soul throbbed with silent happiness. 

26 days…

  
  


But she was back.

  
  


***

  
  


When he woke again, he found himself reinvigorated like he hadn’t been in a long time. He felt so full of energy, he thought he could finally get a glimpse of what being a Papy was like.

He stretched out in the bed, pushing the sheet that had been laid on top of him with a yawn. The sun filtering through the curtains told him it was already late in the morning. He peacefully listened to the silence. There was a quiet melody coming from the other room: the pleasant sound of his human humming to herself. She hadn’t done that in weeks now. He smiled. Dragging himself out of bed, he made his way to the door, glancing in the kitchen. 

There she was, his Queen, in all of her former glory, as she prepared breakfast for them. She was back to being the way he loved her the most, her hips swaying slowly to the tune in her head. He smiled, noting she was wearing a bright yellow tank top that hugged her curves and vibrant red pajamas shorts. Her shoulders were relaxed and loose curls escaped her messy bun, showing just enough of the nap of her neck. She was busying herself, beating some purple eggs into what was probably going to be one of his favorite omelette to this day. Despite the fact the music wasn’t playing and the rhythm was a bit off from her humming it from memory, he recognized one of her favorite song. She continued to croon, the lyrics gradually spilling out of her lips in soft murmurs. He leaned on the door frame to watch her, a relaxed smile tugging at his teeth.

  
  


_ He says, "Ooh, baby girl, you know we're gonna be legends, _

_ I'm a king and you're a queen and we will stumble through heaven, _

_ If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes. _

_ I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight." _

Her movement slowed a little more, her hands grazing her opposite arms in what he knew was a comforting caress, like she was hugging herself gently.

_ And I've been sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool _

_ For a while now,  _

_ Drowning my thoughts out with the sounds. _

The chorus brought her back to her previous pace, the movement of her hips accentuated by the familiarity of the song. She confidently rolled them side to side like lapping waves washing on a beach. Gentleness oozed from her every move.

_ But do you feel like a young god? _

_ You know the two of us are just young gods _

_ And we'll be flying through the streets with the people underneath _

_ And they're running, running, running- oh~ _

_ But do you feel like a young god? _

_ You know the two of us are just young gods _

_ And we'll be flying through the streets with the people underneath _

_ And they're running, running, running oh~ again... _

She moved to grab the frying pan from the cupboard, pausing in her singing, but keeping up with the melody. She blindly oiled the pan with practiced moves and heated it up. He had a better angle at this point, and caught a glimpse of the smile on her face. A genuine one. How he had missed those.

_ He says, "Oh, baby girl, don't get cut on my edges _

_ I'm the king of everything and oh, my tongue is a weapon. _

_ There's a light in the crack that's separating your thighs _

_ And if you wanna go to heaven you, should fuck me tonight- _ KYAAAH!!!"

She fumbled back with a surprised scream when she spotted him, grabbing the counter for support.

Oops... busted.

“Honey, stars you scared me! How long have you been standing there?” She let out a breath, her hand clutching at her chest.

He snickered, leaning away from the door frame to shuffle his way across the kitchen as she turned off the heat on the stove. He shortcutted to the counter and gave her a mischievous smile.

“Can’t blame me for enjoying the show,” he smirked up at her.

She shifted, her hand resting on her hip in a mocked reprobating motion, a smug grin tugging at her lips. She grabbed his mug from the shelf behind him and with her perfect hands, she prepared his morning honey tea. The spoon clicked lightly on her teeth when she brought it to her lips, handing him his drink. She grabbed her own coffee on the counter beside him and lifted it toward him in an inviting motion. They clinked their mugs together and took a sip, eyes locked on each other in quiet contemplation.

She closed her eyes, letting out a contented breath. She looked so soft. After having watched her in such distress over the last few weeks, seeing her suddenly so serene was a true gift from the stars. She had found her inner strength again and had pulled through. The thought she had been traversing this alone in the past baffled him. He felt his soul throb at the renewed admiration he had for her. 

“I’m so sorry you had to suffer because of me, my patient little Honey Bee.”

She lifted her hand, softly caressing the side of his skull. He nuzzled into her touch, his sockets glowing slightly at her. 

“Think nothing of it, my Queen Bee. It’s good to see you be yourself again.” He paused then glanced down at her with a raised flirtatious brow before adding, “It’s also nice to see you in those short shorts.”

She nodded, giggling quietly as she hid her smile behind her mug and took another sip. She was watching him, like she was expecting something. Her fingers reached for his leg, slowly stroking it. He felt her hesitation. He knew what she was thinking, but he wanted her to make the first move. He was not going to ask, but if she wanted to talk about it, he would be there.

“I have… issues,” she finally sighed. “ I’ve had things happen to me and they all come running back into my head at this time of the year.”

He continued to watch her carefully, showing her she had his full attention. His tiny fingers grazed over her hand, affectionately rubbing her soft long fingers.

“I don’t talk about it because when I voice my thoughts, they sound… so insignificant, “ she breathed softly. “The memories… the feelings of those times… I constantly try to let them go, but they keep coming back, every year, just as intense as the day they happened. They sneak their way back in my mind when I’m happy, as if warning me something bad is going to happen. Even when I tell myself I’m stronger now, I’m forced to recall those times my confidence was struck down, like fate itself had wanted to knock me down a peg. Like I didn’t deserve to try to be  _ this  _ happy...”

He kept listening, even after their drinks had gone cold, simply stroking her hand as she told him everything. About the past, about friends and betrayal, about doubts, about the voices screaming in her head, about how she had been used by people she thought she loved... about death...

And then they talked. 

Talked about what she wanted to get off her chest, now that the storm had passed. He was worried she would fall back into crying but her tears had run dry over the last few weeks. She knew she could tell him all she needed, knowing he was going to be there still. He felt her relief when he validated her past, how horrible those things were and how brave she had been to go through it all and still be chasing after her happiness, never giving up. Her eyes glimmered with wet emotions when he told her how proud he was of her and that he knew from the very first moment he saw her she was strong.

She laughed at that, but he remained firm. It was okay to falter from time to time. She had always managed to get back up, and would continue to do so. And now, she could also rely on him to hold her when she felt the need.

He felt his own love for her sink deep inside the well of her soul, his feeling magnified in her crystalline waters, like a light shining through a prism, expanding to be expelled in a boundless rainbow of colors. It came pouring it back outward, back at him, back at the Prince and Tyrant, back at everything.

And it made the world a much sweeter place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the storm is over!   
> Now we can move on to lighter things.  
> Wish I could fly through this whole month as quickly as our Queen did!  
> But I'll be just fiiiiiine~~
> 
> The song in this Young Gods by Halsey
> 
> There is also a very dark reference to the almost meme level song called Short Shorts by the Royal Teens (1957).  
> You've probably heard it before without knowing, I'm sure XD 
> 
> I have a hot chapter coming up soon~  
> So be patient with me ;)
> 
> Feel free to comment and leave a kudo~


	9. My Sinful Honey Bee~***

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey is being a sin-nabun while the Queen takes a long shower
> 
> aka
> 
> （╯°□°）╯HOT STUFF COMING THROUGH!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos~~  
> You make my day!
> 
> This is about the smuttiest thing I've written in my life... so far
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

My Sinful Honey Bee (8)

Why?

Why did she take it with her? and why did he have to notice?

She hadn’t even been obvious about it, casually carrying it under her change of clothes. And it wasn’t that big either, small enough to fit well into the bottom drawer of her nightstand, next to an extra phone charger and a couple of romance novels. Just an ordinary, rectangular box-shape, dark purple, velvety leather case with black straps and a simple metal latch, not even a lock to make it suspicious. She had just carried it in, like it was nothing.

But he knew… He knew what was inside.

Curiosity had gotten the better of him one day and he had looked inside. He could never unsee it.

Honey Bee stared at the closed bathroom door. She hadn’t made a show of it, simply telling him she had a headache and would take an extra long shower, asking not to be disturbed. It would be so easy to just use his magic and unlock it, push it open, just enough to slip in unnoticed. He’d surely be able to hide on top of the pharmacy, or behind a pile of beauty products, heck even in the cupboard below the sink. He would still be able to hear everything.

He grunted to himself, his tiny hand reaching to rest on the door’s surface. 

Why did he have to notice? Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He walked back to the bedroom, his bony feet dragging on the fake wood floor. He jumped up on the bed and sat among the pillows resting against the headpost. He took a deep breath and inhaled the remnants of the floral shampoo scent that had soaked through the fabric of the pillow cases over time. He leaned against them, his skull turned to the left where he knew the bathroom lied, just beyond the wall. He couldn’t help but to sulk.

To be honest, he knew she had her own needs, but he’d have hoped she would have asked him, the same way he did her all those weeks ago. Did she not think he’d be willing to help? Or did she think he wouldn’t be able to? Would he?

He looked down at his tiny body. He was shorter than her arm, his small hands could barely wrap around her wrist and he had to stand on counters to be leveled enough to kiss her, and even then, he would always be looking up at her when they did. Would his little tongue on her throat pleasure her, or only tickle her? 

He thought back to the purple box, probably laying open on the toilet seat, or on the bathroom counter. He thought back to what he had seen inside it, like peeking into her secret world of fantasies. Which one was she using right now?

He recalled there was a wireless blue egg with a matching remote. Had she ever use it without his knowing? Calmly watching a show with him, turning it up with a flick of her finger, her core vibrating and stimulated while he'd laid across her lap? Would he have noticed if she did?

There was also a simple metallic bullet vibrator in the shape of a lipstick tube. Who was she trying to fool, she barely ever even wore lipstick.

He remembered seeing a pair of nipple clamps, decorated with dark feathers, inside a small pouch. There was also a blindfold, still brand new in a matching wrapping, obviously left unused. He groaned at the thought of trailing down the feathers on her wonderful breasts, her sense heighten by the lack of sight, shivering until he'd bite her nipples with the clamps, getting a gasp out of her.

Then there was the big one. A big, bright red silicone dick, with fake veins trailing down its sides and a suction pad at its base. He gulped at the thought of it. It was easily over 7 inches long and thicker than he could ever imagine her being able to take. She had to be using that one right now, sliding in between her wet folds, taking it deep inside her and...

He sighed in frustration. If she wanted those toys so much, he’d use them on her _himself_!

He grunted again, his magic swirling around on his bones, leaking down to his pelvis and he watched the orange glow invade his pants. He licked his phalanges, wanting. 

All the things he could do to her and she had no idea.

He thought back on that day. He had caught her licking his juice off her fingers, so he knew she was curious. They had both laughed it off at that time, but he wondered... what she would have done if instead of throwing her the towel, he had requested a fourth round. Slipping into her mouth, her soft lips wrapped around his magic.

His hand trailed down into his pants, his magic getting firm under his touch. He let out a wanting moan as his fingers wrapped around his formed length, stroking it slowly. He pulled his grey hoodie up to uncover his ribcage and his free fingers slipped between the bones, caressing his ribs slowly. Her hands were the best. The way the warmth spread through the fingertips when she’d massage him, like she was playing with the magic that made up his form, stroking at his bone with tender attention.

Her exquisite face came floating back to him, how her eyes had been fixed on him as he trusted his pelvis between her breasts. She had watched him become undone, over and over again, smiling tenderly at him. He wanted to see her do the same.

He closed his sockets, imagining her laying under him, her eyes pleading up at him to touch her. 

He’d kiss her, distracting her as he’d use his magic to move her beloved toy box near. That bullet vibrator would be first. He’d use it to tease her nipples, tracing it around the bud while he licked at it, his teeth grazing her soft, delicate skin. After her nipples would have harden, he’d use those clamps, getting a sharp gasp out of her. He’d move up until her hot breath was on his dick, her lips so close she could almost taste him. He'd watched her spread her lips, stick out her tongue to lick him, tasting his precum like a dripping popsicle on a hot day before he’d insert himself between her lips. Her wet, slippery tongue dancing on him, poking at the tip and sucking him in deeper. He’d grab at her face, her hair, trail kisses on her forehead to encourage her while his hips started to move back and forth, setting the pace for him to fuck her wonderful mouth. Her hand would reach up, cradling his pelvis and back to pull him deeper in, rubbing at his spine with those perfect fingers. She’d hum around him and the sweet vibrations would threaten to kick him over the edge too quickly... but he had the perfect plan to moderate her ardor.

That big, thick rod of silicone would be next, rubbing at her folds, testing the wetness before stroking at her clit. With a gasp of surprise, she’d give him a confused look and he’d lift his hand, showing her it was his magic that controlled the toy, that her pleasure was in his tiny hands. If she wanted more, he could give it to her, but she’d have to ask for it.

He licked his teeth, his firm grip sliding on him at a careful pace as his sockets glazed over. Sweat was starting to form on his skull. One hand had trailed down to grasp at his spine, while the other continued to work his length. He teased the tip, imagining he was the one probing at her pussy, feeling her slick juices cover his cock. She was so wet for him.

She let out a whine, her hips shifting to coax the enormous phallus past her fold, but he held it there, grinning at her. Pointing with a tiny finger, he showed her want she need to do to get what she so desperately wanted. With bated breath, she took him back into her mouth and he moved the toy closer to her entrance, the tip barely invading her soaked slit before receding, pressing back against her clit in long strokes, coating it with her wet desire. She let out another pleading whine, opening her mouth wide, her tongue still licking at him.

“Please... stop teasing me…” she begged in between breaths. “I want it… inside me… Please!”

So he gave it to her, plunging the red dick in to her core almost half way on his first trust. Her slick tunnel, already used to using the toy in the past, accepted it fully with a wet slurping sound. Then with a slight pull back, he trusted it all the way in and she howled in pleasure.

“Oh yes! That’s it, so deep!”

With a lustful grunt, he shoved himself back into her mouth, muting her voice into a delighted moan. Her throat vibrated around him again, sending shivers up his spine as he resumed fucking her lovely little mouth.

“Ha fuck… my Queen, your mouth, it's so amazing... you’re so amazing!”

Planting his feet flat on the bed, he raised his hips, his bony toes curling into the mattress, his hand now moving vigorously on his length. He was in her mouth, her warm, wet mouth, her teeth brushing against him as he move in and out of her. He could see it disappear behind her soft lips, wet drool coming out of the corners. Her humming muffled by the sucking noise she made as she pulled him in deeper, sucking him harder.

Her body arched in bliss, jerked up by the strength of the toy’s unrelented trusting in her wet core. Her breasts bumped against the back of his hips in their movement, and he reached behind him, pulling at the clamp around her nipple and she screamed his name.

“ _Honey_!” 

The room was filled with their grunts, pants, wanting whines of desire, pushing them both further and further toward their release. Her slick desire resounded around them as he kept shoving that cock inside her, keeping her full. Her hand stroke at his spine, fingers trailing down to grasp at his sacrum, deliciously steadying him while her other hand grabbed at the bedsheet, threatening to rip it.

“ _Honey…_ ” he barely heard her, her voice strained, her mouth full with him. “ _Cum… Please_.”

He was just about to. But she had to be first. With one last effort, he lifted the lipstick bullet back up with his magic and pressed it harshly against her clit. Her back arched, her shoulder lifting high above the bed as she threw her head back and let out a silent scream, her orgasm washing over her in powerful waves. Her mouth opened wide for him. He groaned, pumping his twitching cock, aiming for the back of her throat-

“ _Honey_ ! Could you _come_ here _please_?”

His sockets startled open, his hand halted on the glowing magic sticking out of his pants. Breaths coming out of him is short pants, he blinked a few times, disoriented.

“Honey?” her voice called from the bathroom again.

He stared at his hand, then at the door, then at his hand again a few times, reality starting to dawn on him. He left out a shaky, lungless breath, trying to find his voice again.

“Y-Yeah?”

“I forgot to grab a towel, can you get me one?”

He sighed. After a pause, his fingers reluctantly unwrapped themselves from around his girth, giving it an almost apologetic last stroke, then let both of his hand fall to his sides, heavily dropping his skull back into the pillow. His cock twitched angrily at him. So close…

He paused himself, gathering what was left of his mind before answering.

“Sure, be right there my Queen.”

He had a passing thought to finish what he had started but… She would be questioning what was taking him so long way before he could build his release again. He couldn’t help the bitter sigh he let out as he managed to dispel his magic and pat down his clothes.

At least he had gotten her off… kind of.

\-----------------------------

\-------------------------

\------------------

\--------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA announcement:
> 
> Repeat after me:
> 
> There is nothing wrong or weird about wanting some solo fun time.  
> Regardless of being in a relationship or not.
> 
> Your partner doesn’t HAVE to ‘help’ you, and doesn’t HAVE to watch.
> 
> Solo time is solo time.
> 
> Enjoy yourself.
> 
> ;)
> 
> leave a comment and kudos, tell me what you think of this story so far :)


	10. My Relaxing Honey Bee~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey helps his Queen relax when she loses control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, first half of june was kind of mean to me, hopefully the worst is behind me.  
> Thank you for all the kudos !  
> This story has almost hit 600 view and mommy is so proud!  
> (I know it's not that much, but it means a lot to me)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

My Relaxing Honey Bee

  
  


_ “Peter was brought out of his sleep quite abruptly by a loud ringing bell. The first thing the young man saw as he straightened up on his bed, behind this window which faced his bed, was a human figure who hid itself quickly. _

_ “He got up and rushed to the window, which he found ajar. A meter below was a small canopy covering the front porch of a side entrance. Peter opened the window and leaned in. He saw a dark figure, who must have jumped from the awning, landed on the edge of the stream and, having received themselves badly, tumbled into the water in a great splash with a clear curse. From there, it ran to the nearby road and Peter lost sight of them, having scarcely been able to discern, in total, anything but dark clothes and the slightly lighter spot of a face. _

_ “In the meantime, the boy's attention was drawn to the public square, from where came a bright light. He rushed towards the other window, drawing aside the curtains and saw, just in the middle of the square, fiery white flames in which stood a man. _

_ “Peter exclaimed in horror, but at the same time he noticed that the victim endured these excruciating burns with astonishing stoicism. For good reason: this bust and this head that he saw were those in bronze of the late Gaston Louvigné; it was around its monument that the flames were burning. A very strange fire in truth, more of a dazzling blaze of sparks, giving off a pale and dense smoke, which was tinged with blue and green. _

_ “The young man looked up at the belfry of the town hall, which stood just in front of the inn. Then he saw a figure leap from the tower towards the cornice of the roof, follow it until the corner of the facade, go around the corner and disappear in the shade on the side of the town hall. Although the thing moved very quickly and he had only a brief vision, this vision was not less clear: the short, slender figure, black, with a hideous face, wore horns and a pointy tail! There was no doubt possible, the distance was only thirty meters and the lighting was intense because of the strange flames. _

_ “On the square, the fire went out by itself, almost suddenly, leaving the base of the monument barely blackened. The square fell back into darkness, as the moon was set and there were no gas or street lights in Granverger. Some lamps and lanterns made their appearance, and there were for two hours, in front of the inn, a large number of amazed villagers, discussing the scene. _

_ “Peter listened through his open window to the clamor of testimonies. If he had thought of what hallucination on his part, all doubt was now dispelled: five, ten people had seen a little horned demon leaving the belfry and disappearing in the night. _

_ “Two or three witnesses also spoke of a horseman who had fled in the night, moving away from the village by what was called the old road. In this regard, the boy paid great attention, because he had not forgotten the man in black who was about to enter his room when the alarm had providentially sounded. _

_ “But enter to do what? The bag containing the small golden plate and the grid, his only clue to find the ancestral treasure, was still suspended from Peter's neck by a cord. Did the man want to take it while he slept? Or worse, kill him before committing his theft? Peter had trouble falling back to sleep.” _

  
  


Honey used his magic to pause the book. The phone was kept on the bathroom counter, away from the water, but a small bluetooth speaker had been set closer, on the bath's edge. When the voice came to a stop, mid-announcing the next chapter, he leaned back and sank deeper beneath the lukewarm water. 

"So? What do you think so far?" His Queen shifted among the bubbles in her bath, water quietly splashing around as she moved to turn her face in his direction. He leaned back, sockets closed in reflection as he hummed.

This was their new thing now, or at least he really hope it would be. 

She didn’t often take baths in general, keeping them for when her monthly cramps became too intense, and even then, they usually lasted only about 15 minutes. He had suggested she’d use that time to try and relax, her recent PMS making her more emotional than usual but she had said she’d get bored by herself, soaking in the lonely room. 

Almost as a joke, he had offered to join her. 

And after the few predictable dirty jokes that suggestion entailed, she had agreed to give it a try, on the condition they’d both respect each other’s privacy and not make it awkward. She had invested in some floral scented bubble bath to help cover her integrity, and surely enough, this had become a new thing they enjoyed, giving them the chance to relax together while listening to music, talk about her day or like today, listen to an audiobook. 

His queen had even gotten him a new bitty tub. It was deeper than the previous one with a curved side that went higher on one end and rested on four stubby feet, making it look a lot more like an actually bathtub rather than just a washbasin like he previously had. She had installed it on a new cupboard she had put together next to the bath. It was quite the clever contraption: using a modified flat sink as a countertop, any excess water that would splash or overflow would be drained down into a bucket hidden in the cupboard below. He could therefore fill the tub to the rim, and not worry about making a mess. The new emplacement also had another advantage: it was right next the his human’s bathtub, right by the head end. It was facing away from her, so they were almost head to head when they both leaned back.

“Well to me, it seems like way too much trouble to go trough to find a treasure that may or may not exist,” he mused, his phalanges mindlessly flicking at the water. “I mean, it’s only chapter 8 and this is what... the third time someone tried to kill him so far? Seems like a whole lot more trouble than it’s worth, especially with the whole curse on his family thing.”

“But if he doesn’t, fate’s mark will burn through his forehead anyway.” Her voice was elated, an audible smile painted on her face. “The hero is pushed both by his own desire to avenge his family and fate itself to move forward, despite the danger.”

He heard more slooshing coming from behind him and he turned his head slightly to peek back. She had leaned on the tub’s rim, head resting on her forearms as she looked at him. He could almost see stars in her eyes. He loved how her eyes lit up when she talked about something she loved. She had been so enthusiastic about listening to this one with him and he knew she could go on and on about this book. It was apparently part of a non sequential serie she had happened upon when she was young. The serie was so old, the books couldn’t even be found anymore.

“Tell me again why you wanted to listen to this when you’ve already read the book before?” he smirked at her, leaning back a little more into the water. He closed his sockets, focusing on the pleasant liquid wrapping around his bones. It was steadily losing its warmth, they’d have to add more hot water soon. 

“This is from one of my favorite authors. I did so many book reports on his work when I was young. I know you don’t like reading that much...” True. Something about physical books tended to make him fall asleep on them, perhaps it was the paper’s scent or something, and it always took him forever to get through one. It was almost frustrating. “But when I found out it was available as an audiobook, I just had to share it with you.”

The water suddenly felt warmer as he sank his blushing face under the water line. Like so many other things she had experienced before she had brought him home, she could have easily kept this book as a precious memory, tucked away deep into the nice part of her past, but she had decided she wanted to include him, wanted to make him part of a treasured experience, of something she loved. He could feel her excitement, her efforts to resist telling him more and risking spoiling some of the story. The way she would look at him, watching for his reaction at certain parts, see if he could figure out the underlying plot of the story she had herself read so many times, it made him feel important, like his opinion on what she liked mattered a lot to her. He wanted to return those feelings, make her understand that anything she found important, was also important to him. 

Lost among his pleasurable thoughts, he didn’t notice the sneaky burst of anxiety that rose in her until it had invaded her mind. Her voice had suddenly shifted to a guilty tone, like she had done something ridiculous.

“I know it’s kind of lame,” she mumbled quietly, but the echo in the bathroom made her words resonate clearly. “The writing isn’t that good if you compare it to some of the novels we already listened to. Maybe as an adult, I shouldn’t get so carried away with something that was written with children or teenagers in mind…”

He quickly sat up and turned around, lifting himself over the tub’s rim to look at her. “What are you talking about? This is a great story so far!” he almost yelled. She blinked up at him, surprised by his sudden outburst. He fixed his gaze on hers. Her eyes were wet with doubt and shame, he could feel the sad waves threateningly boiling below the surface of her soul. She was doing it again. 

“You’re doing it again, my Queen.” he reprimanded her gently as he voiced his thoughts. “It doesn’t matter what people think. If you are enjoying something, if it makes you happy, there is no shame in it. You shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it with the ones you care about. I feel honored to be able to enjoy something you have loved for such a long time.”

“Honey…” she breathed out in a relieved whisper.

“This is something I’m enjoying beyond what I could have ever imagined. I’m glad you are sharing this with me.”

The shimmering negativity subsided in her soul and a soft heat started to spread on her cheeks as grateful affection replaced the earlier doubts and shame her unstable hormonal body had shoved upon herself. He smiled at her, relieved to see her shoulders relax and love start to pour out of her soul well once more. He paused tough, when he quickly realised this was causing another problem as he felt emotions rapidly rise in her. Like a tsunami caused by an earthquake deep underwater, it was coming at her full force, threatening to crush her self control in its wake. 

He was caught by surprise when he felt the sudden rush of her affection wash over her like a tidal wave, spreading the wetness of her eyes even more, but this time, it was gratefulness and appreciation that filled them. He could hear her breath rapidly increase, her eyes started shifting from side to side as if looking for a way out. He was always surprised at how quickly she could get emotionally overwhelmed, jumping from one emotion to the other, as if one feeling had used the other as a springboard to climb out of the pool of emotions she held in her soul. The sudden shift was too intense for her and if this had been a negative emotion, she would have surely thrown herself into a panic attack. Given these were positive emotions, this was still better, but it was still considered her losing control. Regardless, he knew how to help her calm down.

“Breath,” he calmly instructed, speaking her name softly. “It’s okay.”

She took in a few slightly shuddering breath, trying to ground herself as best she could and wiped the tears from her eyes. She focused on him, like they had practiced so many times. They had discussed this before, soon after she had adopted him. Be it positive or negative, she knew he was not judging her for her sudden hyperventilation attacks and he was there for her: What she couldn’t handle, he’d take it off her. She still had a hard time voicing her need for an emotional drain, but with time, he had learned to read the signs.

“You’re okay, you’re just overflowing a bit…” he stated affectionately. He smiled and lifted his finger, then curled it toward him in a beckoning gesture. “Give it here.” 

She all but sprang toward him, sending water and bubbles flying as she leaned over to kiss him. She pushed against his teeth, forcing his skull to move up and his back to arc before he could reciprocate and welcome the flowing river of her emotions into him.

It was intense. 

He had underestimated how grateful she was to him to partake into her hobbies, how happy she was to share her enjoyment of her favorite author’s work and her appreciation of him taking interest. Was she really that worried he wasn’t going to enjoy it? How much had she worked herself up, expecting him to bash or mock what she liked? Was that what she normally expected of people around her when she talked about her favorite movie or her passions? She did tell him about her two interruptions rule before: if when she was telling a story, the other person interrupted her two times without trying to move back to what she was saying, she would simply stop, assuming the person was bored or simply not interested. It sounded like a good rule, but he knew it still hurt her feelings every time it happened, made her feel like a burden. He also knew she was trying very hard to fight those feelings, learning that it was not because someone didn’t like the same things she did, that she was any less valid. It was a work in progress…

She tilted her head and pressed herself a bit more on him, a sweet contented breath filtering through her lips to lap at his teeth. She felt loved, trusting, thankful and he drank it all in, his soul throbbing in his chest. How he wished they could stay like this, so connected, like treads twisting together, making each other stronger. How he wished he could feel her, taste her more one day... But this was not a lover’s kiss, no matter how much he’d like it to be. She didn’t need it to be a passionate kiss to allow the excess to drain from her soul. There was no underlying intentions, this was simply the most efficient process to use. 

His magic flared up, heating the water he was still half submerged into as he held onto the tub’s ridge to steady himself. It was pouring into him, from his skull, down his spine, spreading through his bones in warm waves. It was a like standing close to a fire, a lovely, beautiful fire that reached all the way down to his soul. He wanted to purr, moan, tremble under her soft pressure. This was connectivity at its best and he would be lying to say it didn’t make him feel better as well. Her emotions were just as refilling as the magic he needed to function, it always left him reinvigorated. 

Too soon, her breathing had calmed down significantly, her soul settling down slowly as her emotions came under control, drained of the unmanageable excess. When she moved back, it felt like a blanket had been yanked from him on a cold night and he shivered slightly, following her for a few inches before letting go. His sockets opened half way, and he gave her a lidded smile as she moved and sank back among the bubbles, her face flushing into that cute shade he liked so much. 

“Sor-” she started but was cut off when he pointed a warning finger at her. She breathed in and out slowly before trying again, “Thank you my Honey Bee.”

He smiled approvingly. “You’re very welcome, my Queen Bee.” 

They both settled back into their respective bathtubs and he noted the water in his was back to being pleasantly warm. He let out a comfortable sigh that was echoed by his human behind him before silence returned to the room.

They stayed like this for a few minutes while he listened to her calm breathing, his own magic settling down as it followed its rhythm. When he felt they were both back to normal, he tilted his head in her direction.

“I’m ready for chapter 9 now.”

She giggled softly and nodded at him. He raised his hand and unpaused the book.

  
  


_ “Chapter nine,”  _ announced the voice. _ “Alexander Davard, baron of Granverger.” _

  
  


Honey‘s eyes jerked open. “Wait, what? Wasn’t Alex his childhood friend that went missing?”

She snickered and shushed him with a deliberate smirk.

“You’ll see…”

He was so into this.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little bath time~
> 
> I tried to shorten the novel part as much as i could, sorry if it's a bit out of place.  
> The novel was roughly translate from French to English using Google and then manually edited.  
> The Novel is called Cercle Violet (Violet Circle) by Daniel Sernine.  
> He's one of my favorite authors but unfortunately, most of my favorite works were discontinued and to my knowledge most weren't translated.
> 
> Feel free to comment your thoughts, I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far.
> 
> Until next time!


	11. My Sunny Honey Bee~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey and his Queen go to the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the wait!  
> and thank you for the kudos and comments~  
> You make me feel alive.

  
  
  
  


“Lunch?”

“Check,” he confirmed.

“Extra water bottles?”

“Check.” 

“Games?”

“Check.”

“Change of clothes?”

“Check.”

“Towels and blankets?”

“Check.”

“Are we still missing something?”

“We are.”

His human turned, hands on her hips, to look down at him as he sat among the supplies they had gathered for their outing and gave him an interrogative look. He leaned back against the lunch bag, feeling the ice pack in his back, even through the thick insulated fabric.

“Laid back Queen Bee?” he pondered, ignoring her glare, the tip of the pen clicking against his teeth while he looked down at the list she had given him.

She let out a relaxed sigh, then smiled at him, “Check.”

He checked the last imaginary box on his list, “There, _now_ we got everything.” He threw the notebook and the pen in the open bag next to him. They could use it to play paper games, or keep score later. “Why are you so stressed? This is supposed to be a chill day, relaxing outside.”

“I will relax, once we are there, but I don’t want to forget anything.”

“We’ll be fine.” he assured her, bringing his hands behind his skull and crossing his legs. “Plus, V’s gonna be there too, so if we are missing anything, I’m sure she can lend a feather.”

“She’s only going to be there later this afternoon.”

“And we’ll make do with what we have in the meantime. Don’t you want to get going?” 

She nodded and moved to put on her shoes. He was hiding it well, but he was really excited about today. They didn’t often go out together and when they did, they usually went to coffee shops or somewhere downtown. Today, they were going to the beach! Last summer, when she had just adopted him, they had never gotten the chance to go before it closed for the colder season, so this was their first time. He had Vivi to thank for the idea. She had found this small beach in the west part of town. It wasn’t a real beach, like with the ocean or anything, more of an artificial lake built to provide a cool spot during the hot summer for the people and monsters in town. 

Swimming aside, he just liked the idea of spending time with his Queen outside, maybe watch her sunbathe a bit in her brand new swimsuit. He had seen it when she put it on earlier. A bright orange tankini top with white flowers and a black mini skirt like bottom. She had gotten him a pair of swimming trunks as well, dark grey with white Hawaiian flowers prints on it. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought they matched so well.

After gathering everything, they made their way out of the apartment complex and crossed the street to wait for the bus. It was still fairly early and since it was the weekend, there weren’t as many cars on the street as usual. It would take them a while to get there, about an hour or so, and even though he wished he could sit on her shoulder the whole way, she already had to carry almost everything, so he had resigned himself to walking by her side. As they got on the bus, he sat next to her while she tucked their bags next to their seat. After sitting down, she lifted her face, suddenly realizing something.

“Oh no, I forgot my phone!”

“Got it,” he winked at her, pointing to his backpack. He reached in it to grab her phone and handed it to her. “Even grabbed the power bank in case we run out of battery.”

She smiled brightly at him. “What would I do without you?” She planted a kiss on the top of his head, giggling. 

He smirked up at her, orange tainting his cheekbone a little. She didn’t normally kiss him in public, usually sticking to petting his head or hugging him. But today, she was in an exceptionally good mood. He could feel her soul leaking out happiness and excitement. 

This was going to be a fun day.

  
  
  
  


****

After the long bus ride during which, they had watched a few videos on her phone, sharing her headphones, they finally got off at their stop, along with a few other people. Evidently, they were not the only one who wanted to enjoy the sunny day out on the beach.

They followed a little paved road that turned into a cycle path that went around the park surrounding the small lake. Honey had been excited to be there, but after walking so long, he couldn’t wait for them to settle down. They found a nice spot near a tree that would provide them shade for a good part of the day and they set up their blanket. They hadn’t planned on going into the lake yet, since they were the first one of their group to arrive. They didn’t want to leave their stuff unsupervised and it made no sense for them to split right away, so instead, they got settled to sunbathe for the first half of the day. As she worked on moving the small rocks from under them so they could be more comfortable, Honey finally crashed down with a grunt, face first into his backpack, his tiny legs exhausted by their journey here.

“Thank the stars! I don’t think I could have taken another step,” he mumbled into the bag. He heard the sweet sound of her giggle and he turned to look at her.

“My strong little Honey Bee, you did so well walking all the way,” she commended him, pulling her t-shirt off to reveal her swimsuit underneath. His eyes trailed down her skin for a moment as he watched her. 

He smirked proudly, “ Why, of course my Queen Bee. I might be a lazy bitty, but I wouldn’t _bare_ to put more weight on those pretty shoulders of yours.”

She giggled again, blushing slightly as she bent over to remove her leggings. She had told him there was a public restroom they could change in if they wanted, but she had opted to wear her swimsuit under her clothes anyway. It made sense to him, and he had done the same. Following her example, he flipped on his back and sat up. He was about to remove his own clothes when a sudden thought stopped him. He glanced over to his human. She was folding her clothes to use them as a pillow when she’d lay down. He smirked and rolled his shoulders dramatically.

“Oh my Queen, if I may require your assistance,” he proclaimed with an obviously faked faintness. “I’m so tired I can barely even lift my arms.”

She turned to him, visibly confused at his exaggerated tone, then snickered. She got on her hands and knees and slowly crawled up to him, a smirk on her face.

“Oh my poor bitty, of course I shall help you,” she replied with a sultry voice and for one second, he felt his soul doing a flip in his rib cage. She bent forward like a cat before moving over to him and trailed her fingers down the sleeve of his hoodie. “What ever would you do without me, oh my tired little man.”

She was pulling all the right strings at him and he sucked in a breath as her fingers reached the hem of his hoodie. They slipped under the fabric and brushed at his spine before grabbing both his shirt and hoodie and slowly, deliberately, tug them up… then flip them over his skull, blinding him completely and binding his arms. 

“Hey!” he protested but she simply laughed, holding the shirt in place so all he could do was try to wiggle his way out of the makeshift trap.

Once he was finally free, she folded his shirt and put it back in his bag.

“Do you need help with your pants as well?” she asked with a mischievous smile as she eyed him.

He blushed a little, sputtering, “No I’m good! You’re probably planning to pull them over my head as well.”

“Aww, party pooper,” she playfully whined, giving him an adorable pout.

He proceeded to shuffle out of his khakis and grabbing the pair of sunglasses she had gotten him, laid back down as she continued to rummage through her bag. 

“Can you pass me the sunscreen, Honey?”

He stretched out his hand to blindly feel his way in the bag at his side. He knew he had put it there. After a few moments of unsuccessful fiddling, he let out a grunt and sat up to look inside the bag. He pushed aside her book and her wallet, shoving his hand further inside until he was elbow deep in the bag. Where was it?

“Ha!” he exclaimed in victory when his fingers finally found the sleek bottle. He pulled it out and threw it her way, “Heads up!”

She caught it at the last second with a surprise squeak, followed by a giggle, “ Got it, thanks! Huh…” she eyed the bottle in her hand, “It’s so light... is there any left in there?” 

He moved back to his spot, laying back down against a rolled up towel he was using as a pillow, “That was the only bottle we had.” He glanced at her, seeing her concerned look. “Is there gonna be enough?”

“I hope so.” She shook the bottle to force the lotion down then flipped it over and tapped it against her open hand. “If not, I’ll have to cover up.”

“That'd be a shame” he snickered to himself. He moved his shades back onto his face. They were almost comically over sized, but it was hard to find sunglasses that fitted all bitties and all styles. He didn’t mind them being a little big though, it kept the harsh sunlight out of the back of his sockets. Artificial light didn’t bother him, but the sun had a way of warming up the inside of his skull when he stayed out in direct sunlight too long. The bigger the sunglasses were, the bigger the shade, so he didn’t complain at all.

“Eek!!”

He sat up at the sound of his Queen’s surprise shriek, his glasses slipping off his skull in the motion, and turned to her to make sure she was okay. He froze: He had not been prepared.

After having forced the sunscreen up in the bottle and with the added heat of traveling in hot weather, pressure had caused the lotion to splurt out when she opened the cap. Her face had obviously been close since she now had long streaks of white cream across her nose and cheek all the way into her hair. She stared in surprise at the bottle, blinking a few times at it before she glanced his way. Their eyes locked on to each other and they both stared for a few seconds then…

They burst out laughing. 

“Oh stars, _jizz_ that really just happen?” Honey joked in between laughs, which made her laugh even harder. “That bottle is a real _squirter_!”

“Oh gosh Honey!”

“Would you rather I say, ‘watch out for falling bird droppings’?”

“Oh eww no! I prefer the previous image!”

They laughed harder and a few people looked their way, but she was too busy laughing and wiping the lotion off her to notice. After getting rid of the streaks on her face, spreading it on her face and arms, she more carefully squeezed the bottle and applied some more on her legs. He watched from behind his glasses as her hands moved on her thighs, her supple skin shining under the sunlight. As she spread some more onto her shoulders and cleavage, he felt his magic shimmer gently across his bones. How he wished he could be the one caressing her skin that way…

“Would you mind helping me with my back?”

He blinked. Did he just imagine her asking that?

When he didn’t reply, she turned to him, shifting onto her stomach and tilted her head in an adorably pleading way. “Please?”

Stars, he didn’t imagine it!

“Sure…” he uttered, careful to control his voice.

She nudged the bottle his way as he got up and climbed on her back. The sun had already started to warm up her skin and the swimsuit’s soft fabric felt so smooth under his bare bones. He couldn’t help but stare at her back for a few moments, trying to burn this image in his mind. His grip on the bottle tightened when she lifted her hair out of the way, uncovering the nap of her neck to allow him access. She was going to be the dust of him. He realised he had been staring for a bit too long when she hummed questionably at him and he quickly flipped the cap and squeezed the lotion on the top of her back. It spurted out and she let out a surprised squeak again as new white streaks landed on her back. He pictures them being a glowy orange and unconsciously licked his teeth…

He shook the images out of his head and throwing the bottle to the side, he set out to spread the cream on the back of her shoulders, neck and the visible part of her upper back. His tiny fingers coursed on her skin, spreading the cool substance carefully, he didn’t want her to get a sunburn after all. He tried to be methodical about it, starting at the center, near her spine and moving out towards her shoulders. He felt the bumps of her vertebrates under her skin as he ran his hands on her back, moving up toward her cervicals. Again, he tried to be methodical and concentrate but his mind couldn’t help but wander and it took all of his resolve to keep his magic from spreading to his swimming trunks. She only made it worse when she let out a pleased sigh at the wannabe massage he was giving her. 

He kept stroking her back, even after the lotion had been completely absorbed, his fingers feeling the muscles beneath him. She wasn’t complaining, on the contrary.

“You’re good at this…” she mumbles into the blanket, moving her arms up to rest her head on her forearms.

“Probably not as good as you. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

She giggled softly but didn’t tell him to stop so he kept going for a little longer until her phone rang. She arched her body, resting on her forearms and he leaned back, sitting on her lower back, his hands landing on her plump behind as she reached for her phone and answered the call, her feet kicking up behind her when she talked. Apparently it was V, calling to tell them she would be along a little later, having some errands to run. 

“Yeah, I saw a parking lot on the way in but I think there is a fee,” she answered her friend's question. Honey hoped they could catch a ride back home at the end of the day instead of taking the bus. As if reading his mind, she glanced at him before asking, “Think you guys can drop us home when we leave? If not I have to plan with the bus sched- oh! cool thanks!” She tilted her head toward him with a wink. 

Thank the stars for that. He kind of wished she had planned their trip back beforehand though, instead of asking her friend last minute. After a few more minutes talking on the phone, she hung up after asking them to text her when they were near so they could look out for them. They hadn’t been here long but already, more and more people were arriving, setting up their own blankets left and right. Soon, it would be hard to spot them in the crowd. 

After setting her phone back down, she turned her head to look at him.

“We still got plenty of time before they get here. Do you want to play a game?”

“As long as I don’t have to saw off my feet, yeah, sure.”

It took her a moment to catch the joke, but when she did, she laughed. “I was thinking of a card game, silly bee.” He nodded but did not move from his spot. “You’re gonna need to get off me if you want to play though.”

He let out a dramatic sigh and splayed himself forward on her back with a grunt. “Aww, but you’re so comfy, do I have to?” She laughed again, making him bounce a little on her back before he let himself slide to the side to fall on the blanket with a muted thump.

Finally free, she moved on her hands and knees to search for a game in one of their bags. She took out a small green box with an oriental design. He was pleasantly surprised to recognize the game she had shown him a while back.

“Oh, you brought the camel game!”

“That’s not its name but,” she picked up the cards and started shuffling them, “yes, yes I did.” 

She proceeded to place the cards on the blanket before dealing their hands. It was an easy and quick paced game, one he enjoyed a lot. He didn’t like over complicated games with hundreds of rules and whatnot and of course she knew that. He smiled and picked up his cards, looking at what he was working with. His smile turned to a grin when he spotted the high value resources in his hands. Lucky.

  
  
  


“Ladies first,” he invited her to start.

[end of part 1]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2 coming soon~
> 
> What's your favorite thing to do on a beach?
> 
> Thank you BlamefulSea for beta reading this  
> my mind is a mess XD


	12. My Wet Honey Bee~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach Episode, part 2
> 
> Let's go swimming! What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone~
> 
> Thank you for your patience, and sorry about the delay.  
> I hope you enjoy this second part of our Beach Episode~

My Wet Honey Bee

(Beach episode part 2)

  
  


They spent over an hour playing games together before her stomach reminded them it was nearing lunchtime. They put the games away and took out their lunch. While she set about to prepare everything, Honey looked around. 

He had been too focused on his Queen to notice, but the beach was now pretty much full of people. A couple of humans had settled a few paces away from them, trying to take advantage of the shade provided by the tree they were under and a few mixed crowds had gathered to play volleyball, spectators cheering them on from a distance. Happy laughs and shrieks echoed around them as children and adults alike played in the warm sand and in the water, splashing each other and laughing. The area was wide and flat and he suddenly felt very little among all these people. He had never seen so many at once, even in the crowded shops they went to. He glanced back at his Queen, wondering if she was okay with that many people around. She didn’t seem to mind or to have noticed.

The lunch was a simple but delicious selection of sandwiches and homemade fruit salads. The ice pack had done a good job of keeping everything fresh and the cold water bottles were extra welcomed, given the rising heat of the midday. They ate and chatted about this and that, about a series they wanted to watch or a new recipe she wanted to try with magic food.

“I wonder what magic food I could use to substitute custard…” she wondered out loud.

He snickered. He kind of wished they could stay like this forever, playing and talking together, relaxing in the sun where he could bask in the sweet waves of comfort of her soul for all of eternity. He just hoped nothing would ever come to disturb them.

A little chime rang from her phone and she checked the message.

“They just got in,” she announced. Honey couldn’t hold his sigh. Guess their little one on one moment was over after all.

Just a few minutes after, they spotted the pink bird monster with her husband in tow coming off the road walk. His human signed them over, waving her arms in the air until they noticed her. 

“Hey there beautiful!” Vivi called out, dropping her bags next to them. “Hey bug,” she added, nodding to him with a knowing smirk before grabbing both of her friend's hands. After a quick hug, she helped the couple set their own blanket next to theirs.“I’m so happy to be here! Ready for some wet fun?” Both girls giggled as Honey tucked away the rest of their lunch with a smirk at her choice of words. 

“We were waiting for you before getting in the water, since there are so many people around.” 

“Safe thinking. You two go on ahead. We’re gonna finish setting up and grab a bite first, so we’ll keep an eye on the stuff while you two have a bit of fun.”

“Alright, thanks. You good to go, Honey?”

He nodded at her, and watched as she got up, grabbing a white rubber thing from her bag before motioning her shoulder to him. He smiled and shortcutted to sit next to her head, gently grabbing at her hair for support and they made their way to the water. She carefully stepped in the water, letting out a small yelp when it reached her thighs.

“How’s the water?” he asked.

“Refreshing,” she giggled, a shivers going up her spine. She lowered herself to sit in the water, and as it reached her shoulder, his feet dipped in the lake and he was able to confirm for himself it was indeed kind of chilly.

“You’ll sink if you get in at this level, so I brought this.” She showed him the rubber thing in her hand and he raised a brow at her. 

She fiddled with it a moment, before finding the valve and brought it to her lips. She blew into it and slowly, he realized it was a floaty. It was shaped like a white flower with a yellow ring around the center hole. He eyed it nervously. He had planned on sticking to shallow waters and to stay on her shoulders, not to float around by himself. Once it was big enough, she closed the valve and dropped it in the water. She reached for him on her shoulder and carefully sat him on the floaty where he leaned back, his tiny feet and hands spread free to dip in the water.

This was amazing. The ripples on the water rocked the floaty gently. He felt like he was floating on a cloud. He closed his sockets, feeling the warm rays of the sun on his bones and let out a pleasant sigh, water licking at his extremities, keeping him cool. He could hear people around, splashing water, and even got a few droplets raining over him.

Half swimming, half crouching in the water, she circled him, watching his reaction, making sure he was ok before nudging him farther off where fewer people were splashing around. He could feel her excitement, her joy of trying this with him and he couldn’t help the silly smile on his face. 

As they got further away, her feet could no longer touch the lake’s floor and she started swimming beside him in long slow strokes. She watched her bitty with an amused smile, seeing how relaxed he was.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked, flicking his finger in the water at her, a few droplets landing on her forehead.

She hummed in response, flipping to float on her back beside him. He watched her form on the water, slightly envious at the buoyancy humans had that skeletons didn’t. Not that it was a problem apparently, since he had his own way of floating now. Carefully, he rolled onto his front, using his tiny arms to paddle in her direction. She heard him coming and opened an eye to watch him. He saw the playfulness grow on her face.

“If you can catch me, you get a prize,” she playfully enticed him, swimming a pace away. 

He smirked at the challenge. “You’re on!”

Of course, she could have easily swam away a lot faster than he could ever hope to catch up, but she was obviously enjoying the game, keeping just enough distance between them to avoid him, but not enough to be completely out of reach. She was also moving back to more shallow waters, allowing her to walk more than swim.

“You’re cheating!” he called out to her when he noticed and she laughed along with him, moving further away.

She stopped a few feet away and crouched, leaving only the top part of her head visible above the water, her eyes crinkling with challenge as she smirked. He paddled harder, hoping to speed up enough to take her by surprise but at the last second, she dove underwater, disappearing from his sight. He looked around, propping himself up with his arms to try and spot where she would be coming up, but the sun reflection on the lake kept him from seeing anything. He shuffled on the floaty, trying to kneel to get a better vantage point, but the rubber flower was unsteady, shifting even under his light weight. He was just about to start panicking a little, being left alone, when he spotted her coming up, bursting out of the water several feet away like a beautiful sea creature. 

She threw her head back, her loose hair swirling around, sending droplets of water in a wide halo around her. The sun caught in the droplets made it look like she was surrounded by hundreds of shiny diamonds. She ran her hands up her face and head, tucking her wet hair on the back on her neck as she smiled his way, visibly satisfied with herself. His soul thumped inside him. She was so beautiful, water running down her glittering skin as she rose from the water, her swimsuit hugging her wonderful curves so perfectly, her hips still half-submerged in the water exposing a bit of her skin where her top had ridden up. He longed for her. She wasn’t even that far, but he felt the need to have her close, to touch her, feel her, smell her. He was so entranced, he barely noticed her face switching from playfulness to sudden alarm.

“Honey! Watch o-” 

Her warning shout was cut short by the impact against his back. The floaty kicked from under him, his body jolting forward before he could even think of grabbing onto it. He barely registered the splashing sound his bones made when they hit the water’s surface, his sockets wide as he watched the white flower shape above him grow further and further from his reach. In a moment of panic, he felt like he was suffocating before he remembered he didn’t actually need to breathe. He tried swimming up, moving his arms and legs toward the surface but it was no use, his body was sinking rapidly to the bottom. He was still trying to steady himself when someone’s knee kicked the back of his skull, sending him tumbling further underwater, down becoming up, left becoming right over and over again. When he finally stopped spinning, he had moved further away into an even darker dept.

He glanced around, the water around him blurred and groggy from the people moving about. When his feet finally touched the soil, he was swayed to the side by a swimmer’s leg kicking right next to him. He let out a muted whine as he realized he may not be able to drown, but that didn’t mean he was safe. He could be kicked around by the people unaware of his presence, his skull still throbbing from the previous hit was proof of that. He also realized his feet kept sinking in the ground and he kicked his legs up to keep them from being burrowed.

Another pair of legs brushed against him, shoving him forward and a sudden underwater current made him lose his balance and fall face-first into the wet dirt, the taste of sand and clay invading his mouth. He felt it infiltrate his skull, grains and small branches scratching behind his teeth as he tried to get back up and find the way back to the shore. He knew he could get out by going back toward the beach, but he couldn’t even tell which direction it was in. He felt panic rise in him again. His footing was unsteady under him. After a moment of hesitation, he took a step forward, hoping he was heading the right way. How much had he moved since he had originally fallen in the water? There was so much movement and current around him, he felt he was being pushed further away with every trying step he took. His Queen had seen him fall in, surely she was looking for him, right this moment. Where was she? 

What if she couldn't find him? What if he was swept away or what if he was hit again and dusted this time? Was he never going to see her again? She would never even know that he was dead. She would probably keep looking and looking for him, crying desperately for him to come back... he couldn't let that happen! He had to find a way to get back to her! He couldn't give up! 

He looked around, hoping to spot swimmers’ legs to help him get his bearings but the water was still too cloudy and each move he made only seemed to make it worse. The people he had seen swimming around him had all moved away, depriving him of indication as to where he could go. He had the sudden thought of looking up, hoping to spot the white floaty he could use as a guide. He saw it floating on the faraway surface several feet to the left, out of his reach. He moved his legs faster, kicking up more sand and dirt as he tried to run against the water’s resistance. He was so done with this, he wanted out! Why did this have to happen? They were having such a good time, why did this have to happen? His feet kept sinking in the malleable ground and he was getting more and more tired. He felt his sockets burn with orange tears that were washed away as soon as they formed. Where was he? How was he going to get out of this? He tripped again on a branch sticking out and fell forward, sand riding up his body, covering his knees and legs. He was going to be buried in this lake, he was going to disappear, he was never going to see her again. He yelled out her name, his voice swallowed by the dark waters around him.

Suddenly, there was a flash of color in his peripheral vision and he felt something grabbing him, hands reaching around his ribs, pulling him out of the soil and the water rushed around him as he flew toward the surface, breaking out of the water and emerging back into a world of light and sounds. He heard cheering in the distance as he was held in familiar arms, pressed against a soft heaving chest as they swam backward toward the shore. He let his body go limp as he watched the blue sky above them, held by one arm around his middle while the other stroke, rocking them as they moved forward. He could heard her heavy panting above him. After a minute, the movement stopped and he was gathered into the safety of two loving arms, lifting him out of the lake. He felt the water flow out of his skull as he looked up to find two pools of distressing worries.

“Honey. Oh stars Honey, are you alright?” she panted, looking him over.

He held on to her, breathlessly gasping against her chest, his tiny limbs shaking in her hold, the warmth surrounding him like a blanket making him realize how cold the water had been. He let out a relieved whine, nuzzling into her wonderfully soft chest. She stroke the back of his skull carefully, whispering sweet reassuring words to him when he flinched.

“I got you my little Honey Bee, I got you.”

She continued to hold him close as people around returned to their previous activities. From the corner of his sockets, he spotted a woman, holding the hand of a child walking toward them. The child was sniffling, eyes red with tears. The woman stopped a step away, nudging the kid forward.

“Go on,” she gestured the kid to the bitty. Honey eyed the little human apprehensively. “What do you say to the bitty you pushed in the water?”

The child pouted sadly, keeping their head low. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you in the water.”

He felt his Queen stiffen under him, her soul suddenly giving off a strange mix of anger, guilt, and relief. She took a deep breath and looked down at him. “Are you okay, Honey?”

He nodded, wiping his sockets with the ball of his hand, feeling the remains of sand gritting at his bones as he did. He was still covered in mud, the sand having even infiltrated his swim trunks and he felt the dirt rubbing against his bones like sandpaper. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he assured her and he could still taste sand in his mouth. 

This seemed to satisfy her and she turned her attention back to the child. “Thank you for apologizing. Sorry for yelling at you earlier,” she quickly added. Wait… She did what? “Just be careful when you play from now on, ok?” The child nodded and quickly ran back to their mother, unceremoniously splashing water around as they did. The woman took the tiny hand in hers and gave them a nod, leaving Honey to stare up at his Queen, confused. 

Her face was flushed and she avoided his gaze for a moment, like she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t. When she looked back down at him, her face softened and she hugged him close, nuzzling the top of his skull below her chin.

“I’m so sorry Honey,” she apologized and he felt the guilty wavelength seep out of her soul. 

He shook his head, “Don’t apologize my Queen, it wasn’t your fault.” 

“This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t brought the floaty.”

“I liked the floaty. It was fun.” he assured her.

He glanced around, seeing most people had moved away from them. They were still in the lake and it kind of made him nervous still, even if the water was only coming up to her hips and he knew she was right there with him, holding him close. He rubbed at his sockets again and winced when the sand scratched the bone surface.

“Don’t touch your sockets sweety, let’s go rinse them a bit first.”

She carried him back to the beach, getting out of the water and, grabbing her towel on their way, headed toward the outdoor showers near the restrooms. He stood beneath the running water, washing the sand and dirt out of his skull and off his bones while his gentle human helped carefully rub the mud off him. 

No matter the circumstance, he couldn’t help but enjoy the soft contact of her fingers on him, each passage effectively wiping away the residual uneasiness the incident had planted in his mind. She kept stroking his arms and legs until they felt smooth again. He would still need a bath when they got home, but at least the gritting sensation on his bones had stopped.

She wrapped her towel around him, gently patting him dry. It smelled just like her, amazing, deliciously sweet and flowery, the fabric almost just as soft as her touch. It would have been so much better though if her soul hadn’t wept in guilt all the while. When she went to apologize again, he interrupted her.

“Don’t apologize, I’m fine, see?” he gestured to himself. “Considering everything, this was actually kinda fun.” He really didn’t want this to keep them from enjoying having fun in the water in the future, and he promised himself to get back in the water as soon as he could. 

She pursed her lips, her eyes wet with overwhelming doubt avoiding his gaze. He was telling the truth. His falling in the water and the subsequent fear he had face while submerged aside, this had been an awesome day, and he didn’t want her to think he hadn’t enjoyed it or that he wouldn’t want to do it again. If only they could have continued their little catch game. 

“You know…” he suddenly smirked at the thought crossing his mind, “In a way, I did end up catching you.”

Eyes finally meeting his, she blinked at him, visibly confused. He smirked a little more when he felt the sadness and guilt subside, playful curiosity taking their place. She seemed to quickly understand what he meant and let out a soft giggle, tilting her head.

“Technically, I was the one who caught you, silly bee.”

“You’re right. I guess _you’re_ the one getting the reward then.”

With one swift move, he threw the towel over her head and took a step to stand under her. The heavy fabric fluttered above them before coming down, covering them both and he grabbed her cheeks, lifting himself on the tip of his tiny toes to kiss her lips. 

For half a second, her body stiffened in surprise but she quickly relented and accepted his kiss, her soul bashfully fluttering as she kissed him back. He let himself melt into the contact, milking the moment for all it’s worth as his fingers caressed her cheeks. He zeroed in on his desire to project calm toward her. He was still very bad at this, sending emotions directly to her soul instead of acting them out, but he couldn’t find words convincing enough to reassure her at the moment, so he let his tiny soul do the talking. There was always a risk of it lashing it back at him, but these were calm emotions, not passionate ones so he was safe -or so he hoped. He could feel it drip into her soul, slowly filling it up with calming thoughts. It reflected onto the walls of her well, bouncing back toward him. It was as if he had taken a sleeping pill all of a sudden and he concentrated even harder not to let himself fall limp in her lap. He instead tried to focus on the physical contact between them, bone and flesh stroking at each other in peaceful affection. He wanted to do it again and again, forever and ever.

All too soon, the towel started slipping off her head and just as he felt the first waves of comfort trickling out of her, he reluctantly backed away, the sun hitting their flushed faces again as he moved away. He was positive nobody could have seen them. At worst, all an attentive witness would have seen was a woman bent over with a towel over her head for a few seconds. This was to be their little secret moment in public. He looked up at her to study her reaction. She stared back at him, her eyes still wide in surprise, but not a displeased wrinkle in sight, he noted.

She traced her fingers on her lips as if they still tingled. She looked contemplative if not a bit lost in thought until she realized they were still in public and let out a shy giggle, her shoulders slumping as she relaxed.

“That was… t-thanks...” she whispered, slightly sputtering, her cheeks gradually flushing darker. “We… mhm.” 

She shook her head, clearing her mind and quickly picked up the towel, throwing it over her shoulder then held out her hand to him.

“Let’s go back, my little Honey Bee,” she invited him, visibly still flustered but getting back on her feet. “We still have plenty of time to enjoy the rest of our day.”

He took hold of her hand and she lifted him up to her shoulder. He nuzzled reassuringly into the side of her head. Her face felt hot next to his and she did continued to avoid his gaze for a few minutes, but by the time they were back to their spot however, her soul had absorbed his calming emotions and it was like nothing had happened.

Vivi and her husband were waiting for them, splayed out in the sun, typing on their phone. When they noticed the two of them coming back, they waved and Vivi put her phone away.

“All cleaned up mudbug?” she teased. “There are better ways of adding minerals to your diet, you know.”

He stuck out his glowing tongue at her in response, making his human giggle at their banter.

“If you guys wanna go in the water, we’ll stay put for a while.”

“You sure?”

She nodded and knelt for him to get off her shoulder, guiding him back to his spot on their blanket. He couldn’t help but notice she still handled him like he was fragile. 

Vivi dragged her husband to the beach and she waved at them from a distance before rushing in the water, using her winged arms to splash her husband. He laughed and dove into the lake and after a few seconds, the bird monster squealed in surprise and fell back in the water being dragged below the surface before surfacing back, giggling madly.

Honey watched their antics with a nervous smile, torn between wanting to go and have the same kind of fun with his Queen and the dread for risking falling in again. The thoughts about losing her resurfacing in his mind had him look to his left where he met her gaze.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice soft still tainted with worry.

He nodded silently, grabbing his sunglasses before laying back down. He forced the words out of his mouth. “Yeah, just thinking I want to get back in the water later, if that’s ok?” 

“Really?” 

He looked up at her, her eyes staring at him in confusion. Did she really think this little incident was going to traumatize him for life? Well he _was_ nervous, but he pushed past it and scuffed, “Yeah, something, something getting back on the horse, you know?” He closed his sockets, trying to be as nonchalant as he could. He really didn’t want her to worry, he’d be fine.

“I’m so proud of you, Honey.”

He opened a socket to find her laying on her side, head propped up on her hand as she watched him. Her soft smile warming up his soul even more than the rays of the sun were. She looked so soft, so gentle when she looked at him like that. One could think she was weak, but he could still feel it, the inner strength in her soul. It was showing in her eyes even now. She was kind and sweet, but when the situation called for it, she could show some really powerful determination. Speaking of…

“By the way, what was that I heard you say about yelling at a child?” he asked, lifting his glasses to look at her directly.

Her lips twitched and embarrassment flushed across her face, eyes rising the sky. She sputtered for a few seconds, clearing her throat before grabbing her own sunglasses, as if wanting to hide behind them.

“Well, I’m not proud of it,” she confessed. “When I saw you fall in the water, I kind of panicked. I should have never swam so far away.” She rolled onto her stomach, hiding her face in her arms before turning her face back to him. “I may have screamed at the people around to watch their step.”

He raised a brow at her.

“Okay, so I may have been more or less polite doing so.” She looked away and he could see the red on her cheeks spreading all the way to her ears. “I just didn’t want you to be kicked underwater. The water was so murky, it’s a good thing your bones are so pale, otherwise it would have been impossible to spot you down there.”

He chuckled nervously. He made a mental note to never tell her he had indeed been kicked and tossed around by legs and water current. That also explained why people had moved away.

“I just got so scared, Honey.” Her voice trembled a little as she spoke.

She reached out and caressed his skull gently, tracing the top of his sockets and zygomatic bone. He could feel how sincere she was. She had been just as scared as he was, fearing they would never see each other again. He could feel the leftover stress rising in her, the what if tornado he was now all too familiar with starting up in her head. 

“Hey hey, don’t worry. We’re fine now.” He propped himself up, giving her a reassuring look. She rubbed her eyes of the incoming tears. He had to get her mind off things. “If you keep this up, you’re gonna overflow and I’m gonna need to give you another calming kiss,” he warned with a teasing tone.

She choked out a laugh, hiding her blushing face back in the fold of her arms. “Gosh Honey! You make it sound like a threat!” 

He joined in on her lovely giggles. That had seem to calm her down at least. The sound of her laugh was really his favorite thing in the world. It made his soul flutter and dance in his ribcage and he peeked down to make sure it wasn’t showing, being bare boned and all at the moment. Would be embarrassing, even for him to start glowing right now.

She flipped onto her back, laying next to him with a soft hum as her laughs subsided. He pushed his sunglasses back in front of his sockets and moved so his skull was next to her head as he laid, hands locking at the back of his neck. Both their soul finally calmed and serene, they let out a simultaneous contented sigh.

After a few seconds, Honey’s sockets shot open and he sat up straight, shouting “Oh no!”

His human jerked upright next to him, alarmed “What!? What’s going on? Are you okay?!”

“I can’t believe this.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I missed my one chance to get you to give me CPR.”

He didn’t even have time to grace her with a mischievous smirk, his face quickly smothered by a towel.

“Honey Bee you’re terrible! You don’t even breathe!”

  
  


Their first trip to the beach hadn’t turned out so bad after all. 

  
  
  


And he knew the next would be even better.

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**

*

BONUS!!!

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How scary would it be to be stuck at the bottom of a lake?  
> Well technically, Honey was only about 8 feet deep, but still! 
> 
> Tell me what you thought of this chapter by leaving a comment!
> 
> Special Thank You to BlamefulSea, thank you for your help and patience! XD


	13. My Brave Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days go by and Honey Bee shows his dedication to his Queen, and she to him.

My Brave Honey Bee

  
  


Having his Queen open up to him a month ago expended his understanding greatly. He now knew why certain things he had found weird affected her so much. And he now knew how to better comfort her in her times of need.

Like on that day, when the sky had darkened with heavy clouds, the wind blowing powerfully against the windows.

She had spent the first half of the day on the balcony, her face raised toward the sky, her hair whipping around her face as she took in deep long breaths like she was sniffing the air. He had been staring up at her for a couple of minutes when she finally noticed him. She smiled back at his inquisitive look.

“The wind before a storm is one of my favorite things,” she explained.

He had hummed, perplexed, lifting his own skull to sniff at the air through his nose hole. He couldn’t tell what she meant exactly. As if hearing his thoughts, she explained further.

“The air is heavier, warm and humid. The air pressure changes and the wind turns.” She pointed to the street, where the top branches of a tree could be seen, its leafs fluttering in the wind. “See? You can see the bottom of the leafs, meaning the wind is pushing upward. That’s a sign a storm is coming,” she hummed again, taking in another deep breath. Her smile faltered slightly, “It’s going to be a thunderstorm. A big one.”

Again, he turned to look up at her. He already knew she didn’t like thunderstorms. Which was confusing, seeing she apparently loved the winds that preceded them. She had told him, a long time ago, how she was afraid of thunder. Back then, as the newly adopted bitty he was, he had tried to comfort her, saying they were safe from lightning as long as they stayed inside, but she had simply shaken her head without giving further details.

He now knew the lightning didn’t scare her. What she didn’t like was the deep rumbling vibrations of thunder that would roll in after it struck. The loud detonations made her body shiver and shake every time. She had admitted it was irrational and she had been working on her fear for several years now. It had gotten better over time, but she still couldn’t help the trembling of her hands when the storm was particularly intense. 

That night, he had paid special attention to her. They had all snuggled up together under a blanket to watch a movie, her arms wrapped around him, cats curled up comfortably on each of her sides. He had turned up the volume a little louder than usual when the first roll of thunder echoed into the distance. As the storm grew closer, he had felt her hands begin to shake on him, her breath catching in her chest when a flash of lightning announced the next incoming thunder. He had turned the volume even higher before lacing his arms around her shaking hands, kissing her fingers gently. She had instantly relaxed in his embrace, and poured out gentle compassion back at him. He had kept stroking her hands and arms, rubbing his cheek against her fingers until the storm had let up. 

The movie long over, they had fallen asleep on the couch, the heavy rain rocking them into peaceful slumber.

  
  


***

  
  


The bitty sat up with a shout. It took several moment for him to get his bearing on where he was, when and how, his rib cage lifting heavily with pants like he had just ran a marathon. He looked around, only the light coming from his flaring sockets tainting the room with a soft orange glow. He could still feel the remains of fright running up his spine. He tried to calm himself.

‘It was a nightmare... just a nightmare.’ he repeated in his mind like a mantra.

He looked down at the form below him. His human, his beautiful Queen was sleeping soundly, breath steady and deep, her soft face relaxed in peaceful slumber. That could be him too, he just had to relax and chase away the after images of his dream.

He shifted his legs and crawled a little higher on his comfortable human, moving from her stomach to her chest where he laid his head. he could hear the beating of her heart, feel the soothing waves of her soul, surely this would help him fall back to sleep in a jiffy.

He took a deep breath and closed his sockets, concentrating on the sound of her soul, like droplets falling down in the well of her emotions.

To prevent any images from popping in his mind again, he focused on the darkness behind his closed sockets. He felt it surround him like a blanket. It flowed around around him, making him unsteady, pushing him forward then pulling him back like the movement of the waves, like a deep and cold current taking him away. His feet hit something and he tumbled forward, his vision blurred by dirt and algae. He was trying to pull his feet out of the ground when he felt it. He looked around and from the corner of his vision he saw it: a huge looming shadow, swimming around him, circling him. Without even seeing it, he knew what it was. He knew of his sharp teeth, his leather thick skin and its insatiable appetite. As if the mere thought of its name had granted him life, the shadow emerged from the darkness, jaws gaping wide open, hundred of teeth aimed at him.

Honey shrieked and trashed until he fell from his spot on top of her. Getting tangled in the sheet on the bed, he continued to trash for several seconds before a gentle hand cradled his skull and a soft voice pierced through to his consciousness.

“Honey? Honey Bee what’s wrong?” 

He opened his socket, he didn't realize were still screwed shut until now, and looked up to her face. She was visibly startled, her eyes wide with concern. She was watching him carefully, checking if he was hurt anywhere, her thumb reassuringly stroking the side of his skull and running up and down his arm.

“Did you have a nightmare?” She sounded so awake despite the fact he knew he had just woken her with his antics.

He looked at her eyes, so full of worry for him. He felt bad he had woken her up but at the same time, he was glad she was here. he held her hand on his face, nuzzling into to it. There was still a slight rattling in his chest but it was starting to get better. 

“Yeah.” he finally spoke and he could tell his voice was about as unsure as he was right now. “Tried falling back asleep but it came back. So I suppose that’s it for sleep for tonight.” He glanced at the clock on the dresser.

1:13 am

Stars that was going to be a long night.

Her eyes followed his gaze and she let out a sigh before shifting in the bed, rolling on her side so she could face him. She held her head up with her arm, her free hand caressing his skull still. After a moment, she had a suggestion.

“Want to try something my mom taught me to chase away bad dreams?”

He blinked at her. She had never brought up her mom before; well except about how she died during that dreaded month. He nodded.

She took in a deep relaxing breath, tugging on the sheet to cover him, tucking him in tightly against her.

“What was your dream about?”

He hesitated. “Promise me you won’t read too much into it,” he mumbled, looking away.

“I promise I won’t.” 

He waited a few seconds. When he looked back at her, he saw she was still watching him, waiting for him to tell her. He sighed.

“It was… I was stuck underwater and… was being chased by a shark,” he finally let out. It sounded ridiculous and he knew it. He really shouldn’t have watch that Mega Shark movie trailer earlier today. 

She paused her hand on his chest. He could practically see her mind putting two and two together.

“You do know there was no shark in that lake, right?” she hesitantly asked.

“I know.” he grumbled. “That’s why I told you not to read too much into it.” He silently cursed his mind for the way it was using his newly watched shark movie to make him relive his experience in the lake.

“Alright, alright. Sorry,” she giggled at his embarrassed face. “So here’s the trick. You have to turn the dream around and take it somewhere fun.”

“How..?” he asked perplexedly.

She hummed for a moment then nodded to herself.

“Close your eyes.”

He nodded again and did as he was told, darkness enveloping him once more. He concentrated on the sound of her voice.

“You’re underwater. The water is murky and you feel that shark swimming around you.”

“That’s not really helping you know…”

“Sssh,” she held a finger to is teeth to silence him. “Just listen and picture what I’m saying.”

She nudge him closer to her chest, her soothing fingers caressing his rib and sternum as she continued.

“You’re underwater, you feel the shark swimming around you. It’s very hungry but you are clever and… you’ve got fins! You’re a bitty merman skeleton, that went out on patrol that day. You’re used to dealing with his type. You’re intelligent, agile and quick, nothing can stop you underwater; this is your world. You swim away, going through the algae, in between rocks, around the cliffs. You’re so quick, you escape without problem and it can’t even chase you. you’re safe and it’s time to go home. 

“You head on to the reef, and swim among the corals. You see little fishes swimming among them too. There are blue fishes and red fishes and yellow fishes swimming around, playing hide and seek, pecking at the algae around and waving at you. You join a school of big silver fishes swimming in circle. It’s like you’re dancing with them.

“They guide you to a fish city, hidden deep in the reef’s side. No one would believe such a city exists. There are building, shops; seahorses are pulling little shell shape coaches along the streets. In the distance, you can see a palace. You make your way back to report to the captain of the guards.”

Swimming through the streets, Honey Bee quickly made his way back. He had to report the new threat he had found so they could gather a team to chase it away. As he reached the palace, he took a minute to marvel at the majestic interior. Spiraling coral pillars supported an arched roof beautifully decorated with painting of fishes and merpeople living together. There was also a retelling of a great war with stripped demons, but he passed by them quickly. He already knew the stories by heart from having to learn them in fish school.

He swam and swam, going through the corridors as if he had lived here his whole life. Well, he almost did. He loved spending time here. At the turn of a corner, he spotted the tip of a purple tail going into a room on the left. It didn't take him more than a second to recognize it and forgetting all about the report he was supposed to do, he turned and approached the room, peering past the door that was left ajar. There was music playing in the room; a slow classical melody to which the purple finned princess delicately moved to.

She danced gracefully, her arms bending around her as she twirled, her tail elegantly propulsing her forward as she backflipped to a crescendo in the song. Her hair flowed around her, like the halo surrounding the depiction of a goddess. He watched her dance and move from the doorway until she spotted him while she was twirling. Far from being startled, as if she had known he was there all along, she kicked her smooth tail and swam towards him, all but crashing into him, her chest pressed against his, her fingers wrapping around his phalanges, her soft and gentle face close to his.

Without a word, she pulled him with her back in the room, the music picking up as he made her twirl before pulling her back close. He dipped her low, their tails lovingly intertwining and they stared at each other with a long, yearning look of secret desire…

  
  
  
  


Honey smiled in his sleep, a light blush making his cheekbones glow orange as he peacefully rested, all thoughts of sharks and teeth and danger lost to the blissful dance of two souls in the depth of the ocean.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


Honey glared through his goggles at the annoying bugs buzzing angrily around his skull. The striped pest circled around and dashed for the side of his head, its abdomen shifted forward toward him. He felt the dart trying to sting him but it was useless against bone. He let out a dark laugh.

“You bitches are done terrorizing my Queen Bee,” he smirked evilly as two more wasps flew in his direction.

His tiny fingers grasped around the long metal chopstick in his hand ready to strike. It was over 18 inches long and made of solid stainless steel. It was normally used for cooking, but today, it was a weapon of _nest_ destruction. He he he...

With a push, he twisted around on one foot, and smacked the incoming bug with a satisfying metallic pluck, sending it flying off the balcony. He didn’t have the time to appreciate his first hit as another flew right at him. He dodged to the side, slamming down his chopstick on its back as it passed him. The next one came in from the right and he swung the metal rod like a bat, sending it flying to meet its friend.

Alerted by angry pheromones, the nest buzzed with activities and the rest of the wasps flew out, circling the bitty. He lowered his stance, waiting for them to make the first move. His tiny eyelight moved behind the tinted goggles, following their movements and the patterns of their flights. He waited, feeling them around him. Then finally, one dove in, aiming for his shoulder. With a swift turn and a trust of the metal stick forward, he impaled the bug mid flight then swung his arm around. The stabbed bug slid off the metal to fly into its incoming kin. Their stupid little legs mingled together and they both went crashing down on the balcony, a few feet from him.

He continued to swat at the swarm of evil stripped beasts that had invaded their balcony, heads and wings flying left and right as he swung his steel baton with precision. The winged beasts retreated slightly, still swarming around, but measuring their opponent. He took this time to walk to the ramp and look up under the railing where they suspected the nest to be. He saw a few dozens of alveoli and he grunted.

“Sorry ladies, but one does not simply move in without paying rent around here.”

He used his weapon to stab at the side of the nest, paper flakes floating down as he struck the side again to dislodge it from the rail. An angry buzzing sound rushed at him from behind. He ducked swiftly but another bug flew right in his face, gnawing at the goggles covering his sockets. He growled at the offensive wasp, staring into its large black eyes. Taking advantage of his distraction, another one flew and latched on to his arm, dart stabbing aggressively at his hoodie, its abdomen bobbing repeatedly at him. He felt another bump the back of his skull and he swat an annoyed hand at it. He heard a muffled shocked cry and turned to the patio door. Behind the safety of the glass, his human was watching him, eyes wide in terror as she saw him get overwhelmed by the assaulting insects.

That just won’t do. How dared they humiliate him in front of his Queen Bee!?

He twirled the metal spear between his fingers and knocked off the one that had latched onto his face. with the continued movement, he fanned one that was returning for more, knocking it back just enough for him to swing the stick back at it and it split in half with a cracking sound.

He swung the weapon, switching it from hand to hand as it spun, crushing every insect in its path. He had gotten rid of most of them and when they stopped coming at him, he paused, standing straight. He looked up in the air. The wasps were nowhere to be seen anymore. 

Suddenly, he felt a chill crawl up his spine and jumped in reflex. Time seemed to slow as the biggest of the wasps so far flew right under him, its huge dart shining in a sudden ray of sunlight, its black beady eye staring up at him, filled with the same venom it had tried to stab him with. Honey flipped in the air, landing back one knee to the ground, his weapon ready. He leapt forward as the biggest of the stripped bitches turned back to dashed toward him. With deadly precision, Honey Bee stabbed right through its thorax, the spear finishing its course embedded in the wall. The bug twitched once before falling inert.

Honey pulled the spear out, spinning it free and brought it back to himself, its base tapping the ground with a finite sound. 

He was about to let out a satisfied sigh when he heard his name for behind the patio door. Glancing at his human, he saw her pointing at him, cringing heavily. He looked down as his shoulder and spotted the determined wasp, still gnawing at his hoodie, desperately stabbing his arm. He blinked at it a few times then grabbed the insect by the neck and brought it to face him. It wiggled angrily in his grip and Honey gave the bug a death glare.

“This is for all the honey bees…”

The neck snapped under his fingers, its head popping off with a crunch to pluck down at his feet.

He turned to his human with a smug grin, reveling in her wide, fascinated eyes. She clapped her hands, letting out impressed shouts and woots and he bowed slightly.

  
  
  
  


After he was done taking care of the wasp’s nest on their balcony and had taken a much needed bath, she had literally covered him in praises and kisses. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to fight off a horde of insects every time he wanted her to shower him with affection like this. He was rather proud of how he had handled it, but man was it exhausting! 

All too soon, she had pried herself away from him and had announced she would bake him a cake as thanks. He had blushed at her attention. He was used to her cooking their meals but he couldn’t remember the last time she had actually made a cake, let alone one made of magic ingredients for him. Plus it had been an eternity since they had gone shopping together. 

He was pretty sure she had thought the same because she spent extra time getting ready, fixing her hair into a less messy bun, putting on a touch of makeup that complimented her chosen outfit: a yellow empire dress with a black belt defining her waist. It was as if she was matching his name - and vaunted their enemy’s defeat - on purpose, like an inside joke just for the two of them. Watching her get ready, he couldn’t help but chuckle. It looked like she was making a date out of it. He loved it.

She twirled once in from the mirror for him and glanced back. Her eyes trailed down on him, then back to the mirror. Was she making sure they matched? He had traded his usual grey hoodie for a darker toned yellow shirt, his loyal cartoon honey bee mascot adorning the front. He could just barely see the blush that peppered her cheeks as she noticed him staring. She grabbed her black cat eared hat and put on her comfortable black ballerina shoes. He shortcutted up onto her shoulder and they made their way out. 

  
  


[to be continued]

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BONUS!

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy!  
> I had this sitting in my files for literally a month now.  
> I finally added the one part this to make it a rule of three, making it a more decent length and more pleasant to read.
> 
> Tell me what you think in the comments!  
> Look forward to hearing what you think about their little day to day life.


	14. My Competitive Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey Bee and his Queen go shopping for ingredients.

My Competitive Honey Bee

  
  
  


It was the perfect day to take a stroll. The sky was slightly cloudy but it was warm enough they didn’t need to bring their coats. The both of them made their way to the small monster grocery store not too far from their apartment. It had great variety and prices and had a huge section dedicated mainly to bakery products. Flour, sugar, icing of all kinds, it was the perfect place to stock up on the ingredients for their cake.

Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded today and after grabbing a cart, they made their way to the baking aisle. They passed by the spices and condiments and found the shelves where the baking goods were. His human paused mid step. He followed her gaze and saw she was looking at pudding mixes. She let out one of her nostalgic signs he had learned to recognize.

“What are you thinking about, my Queen?”

She turned to him, gracing him with a gentle smile.

“I just remembered that one time, back when I had a roommate. She and I used to spend hours just talking on our balcony,” she mused, then nodded at the shelf, “One time, we made a huge bowl of butterscotch pudding and sat outside with our spoons, just eating out of the bowl, chatting away.”

“Nothing unusual about that.”

“It was two o’clock in the morning,” she added with a giggle.

He raised a brow at her, then chuckled lightly. Maybe he could try that the next time she had trouble sleeping. If only he had known sooner.

He felt a weight drape over him. All those stories she was telling him about her past… he really wished he could have been there with her. He felt like he had missed so much. So much of her smiles, so much of her mischievousness that was lost with age and traumas. He found himself feeling envious of all those people who had known her for so long. 

“Ha!” she hit her forehead in realization. “I forgot to check what kind of cake I should make!”

He blinked at her, his train of thoughts cut off. “Well any cake is fine, really.”

“Yeah, but they don’t all have the same ingredients!” She took out her phone. “There are so many… any preferences?”

“Show me what you got.” 

Shifting his leg across so he was straddling her shoulder, he leaned in closer to look as she swiped at her phone, quickly entering a search request for ‘easy delicious magic cake’. He chuckled in her ear. She flipped through the images of the search. There were so many and they all looked delicious indeed.

While she was looking at one of the recipes for more details, he glanced back at the packages on the shelf. Butterscotch, huh? Somehow it made him feel nostalgic for some reason, like a memory buried deep inside him of some distant past he couldn’t remember.

“How about that one?”

He looked back down at her phone to see the recipe she had opened up: Honey Butter Cake.

He felt the magic swirl inside him, his grip tightening in her hair. The name alone was making him salivate in anticipation, but then she had to scroll down and the shown picture of the baked wonder and it had him literally drooling. Stars, it looked so good!

“Yes!” he shouted, a little louder than he intended. She blinked up at him and he looked away, a slight blush creeping on his cheekbones. “I mean… yes, this one looks good.”

She giggled, her shoulder shaking under him and a wave of embarrassment washed over him. It was just a cake, why was he so worked up about it? He watched her read the ingredient and the recipe thoroughly to make sure they had everything they needed. Was this really just to thank him for getting rid of the wasps? She had dressed up to go shopping with him, she had chosen a cake that was perfect for him and everything. He could feel the gentle love trickling out of her soul as she started to check the ingredients on the shelf. 

What did he do to the universe to deserve her? 

Surely this was a mistake. He had spent what felt like years being transferred from center to center, not even caring if he was adopted or not. He had just found contentment in watching other bitties come and go while he lazed around, getting fed and being cared for. He had done nothing to deserve such a wonderful woman in his life. He was nothing compared to her. He was just a lazy, dumb bitty, only good at making terrible jokes and-

Honey blinked. What was he thinking? Why was we feeling so down all of a sudden? He was shopping together with his Queen for the first time in forever. She was giddy and pretty, and was baking him a cake. Why was he depressed?

There was a sudden push at his soul, like something trying to wrap itself around it to drag him down into darkness. He jerked around. He looked to the end of the aisle but there was just one lady there with her own cart. He was about to look away when he spotted something dark around her shoulder and he stared blankly.

There was a bitty on her shoulder, a dark, goopy bitty with four tentacles coming out of his back. He had one of them wrapped around her neck, another slithering down around her shoulder to keep himself steady. The remaining two appendages flicked the air behind him, twitching in apparent amusement. The dark bitty leaned back as the human he was sitting on perplexedly compared two bottles of mustard and looked directly at him with a wide malicious grin. He had never seen a bitty like that before but, the push at his soul he had felt... Could it be?

‘Is this a Nightmare?’

As if hearing his thought, the grin on the bitty widened and he let out a low chuckle. Honey’s spine straightened with a shutter. This was not a Nightmare, this was a  _ Corrupted  _ Nightmare! He had only ever heard about those. How was this woman so candidly carrying such a dangerous bitty on her shoulder? He could only stare as the piercing cyan eyelight watched him back. He felt his body grow heavy with anxiety. What if the bitty attacked him? What if he attacked  _ her _ !

Honey shook his head to clear his mind and glared at the bitty, a low growl rising in his rib cage.

A staticky chuckle interrupted him. He brought his sockets down at the top of the cart at the end of the aisle. In the top basket, peeking out of an opened messenger bag, another black skull was turned toward him. He flinched as the two multi colored eyelights glared back at him, a smug look across his skull. An Error?

“What’s wrong Honey?”

He turned back to his human. She had a worried look on her face. Stupid jerk was messing with his head and she had picked up on it. With her empathetic affinity, she was probably absorbing his doubts and insecurity. She would be amplifying the negative feelings and make them her own any second now. He couldn’t allow it! He frowned and turned to glare at the intruding bitty but his movement was stopped by her hand, gently reaching up to pet his skull. He couldn’t help himself and melted into her touch, purring lightly. She was so kind, so loving… his precious little human. He nuzzled into her neck, hoping to reassure her everything was fine, concentrating hard on his affection for her to cover the previous negativity. Even if she couldn’t return the affection he had for her, he just wanted to be by her side. He just wanted to go home, watch her dance, sway her hips as she cooked, have her kiss him and cuddle up with her and...

His eyes startled open and he jerked his head back. The other human had moved closer to look at the spices further down the aisle and he could now hear the low chuckles of the Nightmare and Error bitties as they whispered something to each other. The corrupted bitty gave him a smug smirk. He rubbed his head against the girl, nuzzling her neck as if mocking what Honey had just done and, maintaining eye contact, casually slipped a tentacle down the back of her shirt. The human let out a small yelp, visibly shuttering… in pleasure?

Orange flushed on his skull, his grip tightening in his human’s hair.

The girl swatted at the tentacle with an embarrassed giggle and a soft, “Nightmare, knock it off.”

The perverted bitty whispered something in her ear and she visibly rolled her eyes before returning her attention to the rack of spices in front of her. He then peered back their way with a smug grin, his eyes shifting behind him to glance at his Queen, giving her a once over followed by a judging smirk, like he was saying ‘meh, mine’s way better’.

Angry magic sparked through his bone. His eyelights flared and he was too late to hold himself back. His bones rattled and a ferocious growl rose from his rib cage. 

_ How dare he!?  _

“Honey?”

He tried to control his anger but he could feel his bones shaking, his grip on her tightening possessively. She turned her face to see what he was growling at, her hand coming up to pet his back.   
  
“Is that a bitty?”

“That’s a corrupted Nightmare,” he clarified, his growl downsizing to a grunt under her delicate touch.

“A what?”

“When a Nightmare is overcome by negativity, they get corrupted. They go insane and become super dangerous,” he explained in half a whisper, keeping a careful eye on the approaching cart. 

Rolling her cart down the aisle, the other human noticed both of them staring. She didn’t seem that bad, given the company she kept. She gave them a guarded yet kind look.

“Can I help you?” 

He felt the shoulder under him stiffen. His Queen sputtered slightly and turned to face the girl, moving her fidgeting hands in front of her. The girl’s voice hadn’t been aggressive or anything, but he knew she was always intimidated by strangers. He trailed his tiny fingers in her hair to encourage her.

“Hum, no, not really I just… I couldn’t help but notice… um..”

The other girl seemed to realize what she was getting at. Her face softened a bit, visibly noticing her nervousness. She chuckled lightly as she nudged the Nightmare with her head. “You're curious about this guy, huh?” her voice was surprisingly gentle and definitely held great affection for the goopy bitty on her shoulder. She was definitely an oddball.

“Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I’ve just never seen a bitty that looks like this before… Is it really a Nightmare?”

Honey felt her relax, glad the person in front of them didn’t seem obfuscated by her question. He would have preferred they just went on their way, though. He continued to glare at the dark bitty. He was still smirking at them, his cyan eyelight looking down Honey’s human with an disinterested expression before returning his attention to him, grinning slyly. Jerk… He was just enjoying picking up fights with other bitties or what?

Who in their right mind would even keep a corrupted Nightmare? What’s more, bring him out in public. The nasty bitty fed on negativity and in fact, had almost ruined his perfect outing with his Queen with his mind games. He had to repress another growl as the two girls continued to chat.

“Yeah he’s my first bitty,” the girl explained, then snickered at the goopy bitty on her shoulder, poking his cheekbone to interrupt his fierce glare. “Nightmare, stop teasing her poor lil bro.” The bitty huffed like she had just ruined his fun and patted her head with one of his tentacles, making her roll her eyes. 

There was an immediate change in the pressure on Honey’s soul. He blinked once. Did the Nightmare really just let up his influence? It felt like all of the aggressivity had completely left him and a peaceful calm was now taking its place.

“He had a rough start, was in a pretty bad place for a long time. Nightmares are known to take in negative emotions, but too much and it can do this, corrupting them.”

“Oh… that’s… kind of sad. I’m sorry to hear that.” 

He could feel the echoes of sympathy bubbling at the bottom of the well of her soul as it rose up from within herself. He sighed internally. She shouldn’t be feeling bad for someone she had just met, even less for an unpleasant bitty like this one. Even now, he was still staring at them, like he was challenging him to a fight. He always did his best to be a good bitty when they were out together, behaving to make her proud, but this guy was making it hard! 

“But he seems so tame…” his Queen commented, pensive.

Two sets of laughter came from the girl’s basket, shifting his attention from the dark bitty’s intense gaze. He hadn’t noticed, but there was a third bitty in the top part of the grocery cart now, sitting in the messenger bag next to the Error. A scruffy white skull, sharp teeth, red eyelights. 

An Edgy… why was he not surprised?

“Tch, ta-me my a-ss. “ The Error scoffed, grinning up at the other dark bitty who was also chuckling at her comment. Rude.

“That bastard is always bugging Kitten.” The Edgy growled up reproachfully at the Nightmare. The girl reached down to pet the top of his head, turning his growl into a purr.

“Brother really does have a hard time behaving.” A golden Dream bitty had ported up onto her other shoulder from where he had been organizing his human’s groceries. 

Honey stared at the bright bitty. He was different than the Dreams he had known long ago, somehow seeming a little darker than Dreams usually were, but he was still a ball of sunshine when compared to the crew he was hanging out with right now. He noted that his human had instantaneously taken a shine to the sunny bitty, her eyes widening in admiration. She never gushed over him that way, did she?

For his part, the Nightmare didn't look fazed at all by his fellow bitties’ words, his smirk only seemed to widen as though he was particularly proud of himself .

His kind human, more confident now that the bitty harem owner had shown she was nice to talk with, moved on and asked the question that was burning her lips, “Is there any way he could be uncorrupted someday?”

Honey stared up at her. Of course she would ask that. Of course she would hope for the best even for the most vile bitty she met. He had never heard of a corrupted bitty being turned back to its original state, then again, most simply did not live long enough after the corruption to begin with. Could there ever be a way to fix that much damage? It’s not like there were rehabilitation programs for bitties. They either made it or not.

The girl looked sadly at her Nightmare, who looked back at her with something Honey didn’t think a bitty like that could ever feel. “No, sadly not, but I love him for who he is. He certainly makes life interesting.” 

Honey’s socket widened. He could see it. It wasn’t super apparent, but he could see it still. Those two, the human girl and the Nightmare bitty… they were bonded! and not just bitty bonded. They were soul bonded!

It showed by the look they were giving each other, the soft loving gaze she held him in. It was like looking at the sun, almost blinding him. Now that he was paying attention to it, he could feel the affection coming off her soul, like he was hearing the echo of a love song from a distance. He couldn’t help but smirk. So much for being a tough mean bitty. 

_ ‘As it turned out, he was probably just a big softy.’  _ Nightmare’s sudden menacing glare stopped his line of thinking instantly.

Honey turned his attention back to his human. She could have been looking at a litter of newborn kittens, she wouldn’t have looked more enraptured. The love that was radiating off the girl’s soul reflected in her soul, magnified by her well’s crystal walls. He could almost see it in her eyes as her profound feelings of affection grew in her. She turned to him and grazed him with the redirected product of those feelings. It flowed into him and he had to repress a shiver going through his bones. If they were at home, he’d be asking her for a kiss right now, just to get a little more of that sweet sweet love from her soul. That a bond between a bitty and a human girl made her feel that way filled him with hope.

The girl looked away from the dark bitty when the Edgy started pulling on her shirt. “Kitten, can we go now? You promised we could… you know.” 

Her two darker bitties chuckled suggestively and the girl flushed pink. “Yeah Red, we’re almost done, just two or three other things then we’re heading home.”

Heat spread on his cheekbones. Really? a human and a bitty? and more than one? He glanced at his Queen. She had picked up on the bitty’s lust, he could tell. 

Part of him was actually glad she now had an perfect example of how bitties and humans could be together. Sure this was maybe a more extreme case, but this human had accepted her bitties’ affection and they didn’t seem to feel embarrassed or want to hide it. It kind of made him hopeful he could one day ask the same of her. When he’d work up the courage.

Honey pull on her hair slightly, clearing his throat in a vain attempt to hide the obvious blush on his skull. 

“What is it, my Honey Bee?”

“We should be going too, my Queen Bee. You wanted to go buy new cooking chopsticks, no?”

She shuttered. “Yeah, not using those again...” she turned to the girl. “Well, I better get back to getting our ingredients.” She pointed at her bitty before elaborating, “He fought off a horde of wasps this morning so I’m baking him a cake!”

Honey smirked smugly at the other bitties ‘what did _you_ do for your Queen, huh _chumps_?’ 

“It was nice meeting you” she waved at the other human girl. “Wish you all the best!”

With a light wave back, the girl went down the aisle, pausing to check her list, probably to see what direction she needed to take. Honey glare proudly one last time at the strange crew.

His socket twitched when he saw the Error held up two of his fingers in a V before slipping out all five of his dark blue tongues between his multicolored phalanges. He was quickly joined by the Edgy who stuck out his own red tongue in a cocky grin and the black bitty on her shoulder who gave him a last subjective glare. Almost like he was saying ‘seems  **_someone_ ** _ ain't getting any tonight, pal’ _ . Dream sent him an apologetic look, flicking his brother's nearest tentacle, apparently embarrassed by his fellows actions.

They turned the corner and Honey felt like a blanket was pulled off his soul. Both the pressure he had felt from the Nightmare and apparently the soothing effect the Dream had put out to counter it receding as the left. He hadn’t realised how powerful the two bitties were until now. 

He let out a sigh, slouching a little on her shoulder. When she didn’t make a move to turn back to the shelves, he looked at her. She seemed deep in thoughts, a slight crease between her brows. He waited a few more seconds before calling her name to snap her out of whatever she was fixating on. She blinked a few times then lidded her eyes to give him a soft loving look.

“I think it’s about time we finished up here, don’t you think?”

“You mean you don’t want to hang around and see if other bitties and their owners want to chat?” he tease her.

“They were a very colorful crew, weren’t they?” she said thoughtfully, looking to the end of the aisle where the girl had disappeared. “I never thought a human could…” Her voice trailed down, interrupting her thought.

“Could what?” he asked with a pinprick at his soul. Had she noticed the bond between those two?

Her cheeks flushed lightly and she cleared her throat before answering. “I mean for a human to have so many bitties all at once, it must be a lot of work.” She turned her attention back to the shelf behind them, picking up a bag of flour.

Honey looked at her, slightly disappointed. She  _ had  _ noticed, but was avoiding the subject.

“Good to know you don’t plan on bringing me some competition,” he sneered playfully.

“Oh please, you are enough trouble all of your own.” She laughed. 

He huffed in reply, jumping into the top of the shopping cart. He leaned back on the cart’s handle. She had seemed awfully charmed by the brighter bitty. “Not even a Dream bitty?” 

She paused, a bag of granulated sugar in her hand then glanced at him. She seemed to search his eyes for a second, but after a moment, she smirked, dropping the sugar in the cart next to the flour.

“He was really cute,” she hummed. He turned to glare at her but just as he twisted his skull upward, a pair of soft lips landed on the top of his head. He froze in place, sockets wide. “But you’re way cuter, my competitive little honey Bee~.”

His teeth quirked into a giddy smile as she giggle her sweetest laugh.

  
  
  


So much sweeter than any cake.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written together with BlamefulSea!  
> Thank you for allowing your Alpha goopy bitty and his gang into my world~!!!  
> You can read the Bitty House's side of this day right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886086/chapters/64977166) !
> 
> I hope you enjoyed,  
> please comment your thoughts!
> 
> Until next time ^^


	15. My Nostalgic Honey Bee~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey tells his Queen about some bitties he knew in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> We've reached 100 kudos this weekend!  
> and almost 2000 hits!  
> I'm so overwhelmingly grateful for all of your love!  
> A thousand thank you!
> 
> I do apologize for the somewhat long pause since last chapter.  
> You know the deal: real life gets in the way of everything!  
> I've also been working on a rewrite of chapter 4, but as it reached 20 pages, I found it wasn't going the way I wanted, so that happened!
> 
> But Honey Bee and his Queen are still going,  
> so without further ado ,  
> enjoy this sweet new chapter!

My Nostalgic Honey Bee

The journey home had been a quiet one.

Not that he or his Queen were uncomfortable with long silences but Honey couldn’t help but notice she seemed deep in thoughts as they walked back home. The way her shoulders slumped at times could have been due to the heavy bags she was carrying, but with the number of times a sigh escaped her lips, he knew she was thinking about things. He hesitated for a while and it wasn’t until they were about a block away from home when he willed himself to ask. He glanced at the box of noodles in the somewhat lightly packed bag he was carrying.

“ _Penne_ for your thoughts?” he offered, looking up at her.

She glanced down at him with raised brows before she caught on the joke and giggled lightly. Yeah that was better.

“Oh don’t worry, I was just…” her eyes shifted to the side, “considering some things.”

“Like what?”

She kept silent for a few more paces, trying to gather her scrambles thoughts. He sensed small waves of confusion shimmering within her, but it mixed strangely with happy thoughts and what he thought felt like hesitation. Perhaps she was thinking about the lady they had met before, with her bonded bitties. Perhaps it was making her reconsider what their own relationship was or could be…

“Are you lonely?”

The sudden question took him by surprise. Once again, her line of thoughts was going in directions he hadn’t even considered.

“I’m not,” he answered simply, blinking at her. “What makes you think I would be?”

She hummed in thoughts as they both stopped at the corner of the street to wait for the traffic light to cross. She was kind of avoiding his gaze and it was starting to worry him. Little thoughts like that one had a tendency to grow into spiralling doubts in her mind. He really didn’t want her to start thinking she was doing something wrong. 

As the light changed to green, she huffed, as if coaxing the answer out of her mind at the same time as her first step forward.

“I was wondering because of the lady at the store, with her four bitties.” She shifted her grip on one of the bags that was slipping on her wrist. “I think I read somewhere that bitties are usually very social beings.”

“I don’t think those were considered sociable bitties,” he commented in a low voice. Well except maybe for that Dream bitty.

“It makes sense you’d want to…” she paused, seemingly looking for the right word. “adopt... more than one so they keep each other company during the day.” He let out a sigh again. “But when I leave for work,” she continued, her eyes focused in front of her as she walked, “you’re left all alone and I thought, maybe you were lonely.” Her voices trailed off at the end and she looked away, her focus falling onto a couple walking by. 

He followed her gaze but did not make any comment. The two humans were holding hands, laughing happily at some joke as they passed them. His eyes trailed off to her grip on the bags before he looked back ahead.

“I’m not really alone, you know.” He felt like he needed to elaborate somehow, that he had to convince her with more than just a phrase. “I have Prince and Tyrant with me during the day, besides, I tend to nap all day or watch some shows.”

“But wouldn’t you rather have someone to talk to?”

“I have you to look forward to. Our talks together are all I need, conversation wise.” He noted with a prick of satisfaction the pink that spread across her face at his answer. Why would he want to share this with anyone else?

He smirked to himself. He had never been the kind to actually seek other’s company to begin with anyway. He could count on one of his bony hands the number of people he had actually gotten close to, being bitties or other. He glanced up at her and caught her eyes before she looked away. The small smile of her face told him she understood this, she herself being more on the introverted side.

As they reached their building, he could feel her worries had subsided, giving ways to peaceful understanding. He helped her unlock the door to their apartment and leaned against the door to keep it open for her as she shuffled next to him to drop the bags in the kitchen. 

She was quick to put away their purchases and clean up the space on the counter so they could get to work on that cake. Honey commented on the amount of dishes she’d need to do after, making her grunt in apprehension.

“You deserve it,” she let out with a determined smile across her face. 

Honey shortcutted onto the counter, a light blush spreading to his cheekbone. He loved those little moments where she made him feel like he was special, like she was doing something for him she wouldn’t normally do, even if it was something as small as accepting to have extra dishes to wash just to make him something. He hadn’t taken care of the wasps purposefully for this kind of thanks. He had simply wanted her to feel safe in her home and be able to go out on the balcony without freaking out at the stupid bugs flying around her. He didn’t want to risk them hurting her either, and his will to get rid of them had only grown after she had explained how wasps and bees were different.

Bees were loyal to their queen, doing everything in their power to protect her. She was at the center of their world, their colony. They would even lay down their lives to protect her, why with their sting essentially killing them. But they weren’t reckless either, attacking only as a last resort. They also made sweet sweet honey. 

Wasps were just angry bitches. Not to mention the whole Murder Hornet thing he had seen in the news.

He smiled proudly as the memory of his morning exploits as she started measuring the flour and sugar and set it in a mixing bowl, eyes carefully checking the recipe on her phone. He liked it when she had that focus look on her face, like when she was writing or reading, or drawing or-

“Honey, stop looking at me like that, you’re making me nervous.”

He blinked, not realising he had been staring.

“I promise, I won’t mess up your cake,” she added with a wink. 

“Not worried in the least, my Queen.” He leaned back against the wall, his usual spot when he’d watch her washing the dishes. 

She finished preparing the ingredients and turned to grab a spatula to mix when an idea seemed to cross her mind.

“Say Honey, did you have any bitty friends back when you were at the center?”

She was still on that? He then realised he had never told her about his time at the centers. Not that he didn’t sometimes think back on it, but he was so keen on asking her about her day and more often than not, she was the one sharing stories of her past with him and not the other way around. Not that he had lived an exciting life. It was actually quite boring, but maybe if she knew how he had been with other bitties, she’d see he didn’t mind being left alone and really didn’t need nor wanted another bitty in their life.

He sat up straighter, elbow on one knee as he rested his chin in his hand, looking at her with a raised brow bone. “Shall I entertain you with a _bitty_ of storytelling, my Queen?”

Her lips pursed into a happy smile in response, her eyes lit up with curiosity and humor.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckled, closing his sockets so he wouldn’t get sucked in those beautiful pools of colors. “Fair warning though, this is probably not as exciting as you’d want it to be.”

He felt a light tap on his skull and his vision was filled with powdery white.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she declared, lifting her floury spatual from his skull with a giggle.

Honey chuckled lowly and wiped his skull. “Just wanted to _bake_ sure you didn't get your _egg_ spectations too high.”

They both laughed again and he settled back against the wall, searching his memory for somewhat of a less boring story to tell.

* * *

  
  


He watched with only half interest the humans moving around in the store, picking up discarded flyers, folding and returning unbought little shirts and pants to their shelves. Another one was walking around with a clipboard, taking notes of stock they would have to order. 

It had been a busy weekend at the bitty center: They had held an adoption weekend. The event had mainly aimed to spread information about the different bitties and the advantages of each kind as well as boost the number of adoptions for the month. The owners had planned on reducing their capacity and rather than transferring all bitties to another center, they had tried to find homes for as many of them as they could.

It had worked beautifully: of the 35 bitties that had been on display with him at the beginning of the week, only 7 of them remained. 

“Lil bro, you still with us?”

He turned his attention back to the table he was sitting at, crossing eyes with the blue elemental Curly bitty across him. Despite not having an actual visible facial expression, he could tell he was worried about him.

“Don’t look so down dearie,” the Muffet next to him cooed, leaning toward the Lil Bro. He watched the two eyes of the right side of her face peek at his cards as she put one of her tiny hands on his shoulder. “It's normal for a few of us to be left after an adoption event. Our turn will come.” She placed a yellow card on the pile. 

He hummed half-acquiescently and looked down at the card that had been played, then at his hand, spotting the next best card he could. He tossed it on the pile at the center of the table, slouching back in his chair with a sigh.

“I really don’t mind actually. It’s just real quiet without all the Baby Blues around.”

“Pff, if ya mean we can finally hear ourselves think for once, yeah, I agree with ya!” the Edgy sitting on his left grunted, rearranging his hand for the sixth time. He may have been complaining about the Baby Blues all the time, but Lil Bro knew he also missed them now that they were gone.

“OH STOP YOUR WHINING RUNT,” the Boss next to him rebuked the small bitty. “ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, THIS WEEKEND HAS PROVEN TO BE A NEAR COMPLETE SUCCESS.

“heh, so youre calling us failures to our faces now, Boss?” One of the two Sansy at the table chuckled, picking a random card in his hand to add it to the pile.

The Boss huffed in response, but did not comment any further. Curly glanced at his cards, visibly hesitating which one to pick.

“you should all _adopt_ a better attitude,” the second Sansy, this one a bit discolored with age, on the other side of Curly added with a grin. Both Sansies chuckled at each other and the Lil bro winked back at him, approving the pun while the Boss let out an annoyed growl.

“yeah, like it's not our fault some bitties move out _foster_ than us," the Edgy snickered, adding in his own.

The pale Sansy barely had the time to place his own card, Boss grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it with a raging shriek, scattering the cards everywhere. 

"THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU LOAFS ARE STILL HERE!" He shouted, stumping away.

His cards still in hand, Lil bro tuned out the argument that broke out, Muffet chastising Boss for ruining their game - which she was going to win by the way! - and all three small skeletons kept fueling the Boss' temper by making more and more jokes. Curly sighed and started picking up the cards on the ground.

  
  


This was normal. This was usual. This was routine. So why did he feel so bored by it?

It's not like he was jealous of all of the other adopted bitties. He was actually glad not that many people had approached him for adoption. Maybe it was the busy weekend that was taking a toll on him. It had been noisy and a lot of people had come around, leaving him barely any quiet time to decompress. The other bitties also had been overexcited, especially the Baby Blues, making even their resting area busy with gossips. 

'Did you see how that girl looked at me? She's taking me home tonight for sure!'

'Lucky! I want a pretty human too!'

'I heard that the lizard monster that came in earlier got their adoption file rejected! Scary! Can you imagine?'

'I think that one liked you!'

'Oh yes you totally made a good impression, don't worry about it!'

But now, except for the bickering between the brothers and sometimes Muffet, the silence was almost deafening. It would take him a couple of days to get used to it, and then again, there would probably be new arrivals soon. 

And it would start all over again.

* * *

His Queen giggled lightly and he opened his sockets to watch her. 

“I can’t believe he’d actually flip the table over a few puns,” she commented in between restrained laughs.

She was just about done mixing the batter and had taken the mold out, giving it a thorough greasing. Already, he could smell the soft sweet honey scented aroma filling the room and he couldn’t help salivating at the prospect of the final result.

“Well to be fair, he had put up with them all weekend long without making too much of a fuss,” he explained in Boss’ defense. “ But those last ones _took the cake_.” 

She giggled again and started pouring the batter in the round mold. The rich golden, flavory batter was smooth and spread out evenly but she still gave it a few taps to flatten it out. After carefully putting it in the oven and checking the temperature, she swiped a finger in the bowl and lifted it to her lips before pausing.

Her eyes flickered over to him as she licked her finger clean with an approving hum. He must have looked jealous because she went back for another swipe but this time presented her finger to him, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Without a word, he opened his mouth, tongue over salivating and grabbed on to her hand to keep her still as he savored the honey filled batter off her fingers. A double treat if he’d say so himself and the tasty tread barely got a moan out of him.

When he looked at her face again, her cheeks had flushed in quiet satisfaction. It was almost a shame when she retrieved her hand and turned to rinse the bowl, hiding her beautiful face as she did. Did she even realise how those little moments made him feel?

“So what happened after that weekend? Did you get new bitties?” she said over the noise of running water.

“Actually, it’s kind of the other way around…” he began again, leaning back against the wall once more.

* * *

  
  


It took a little over a week for him to be transferred to another center. He, the Edgy and the Boss were all put into padded crates and after a half an hour drive, were moved to another center. From what he heard, this one was in the east part of town, near a water gate. It had had a good rotation of bitties for a while, and people tended to look to Bosses and Edgies, so the brothers had a good chance of finding their forever home.

And him? Well he didn't mind the change of decor. He had said goodbye to Muffet and Curly a few days prior and the Sansies were kept together and sent to another center where their models were on demand. All in all, it was for the best.

Upon their arrival, they were kept in a room adjacent to the play room. They were provided with a few games and books while they waited for their transfer to be completed. Having done this several times already, he knew it was also a way for the previously occupying bitties of the center to get a look at them, which was the best way to avoid territorial fights on the first day. 

Each center also insisted on giving all new arrivals an overall checkup before they could join the bitties already on display. There were a few more arrivals from other centers as well. Three Inks, two Errors, a trio of dogs and two other fire elementals were worth noting. The dogs had quickly honed in on him for pets and he gladly scratched their belly until the bigger one passed out on him. The combination of warm fur, soft snoring and the heavy weight on top of him made quick work to rock him into a relaxing nap, only waking up when it was his turn to get his check up.

A quick look at his soul and overall stats later, he was joining the bitties in the playroom, where he quickly honed in on a purple hammock over the plastic tunnels the more lively bitties liked to play hide and seek in. Already, the playful banters of the several Baby Blues and Dog bitties felt a lot more familiar than the previous silence of the waiting room. When the Boss and Edgy joined in, they almost immediately got into a staring contest with another Boss, establishing dominance. The new Boss’s ruby eyelight clashing with the previous prune colored one’s, they stared at each other for about 5 minutes before the new Boss bitty held out a hand and they made up with approving grunts. The ruby Boss then dragged his Edgy back toward a group of other bitties to make formal introductions under the watchful glare of the leading pruned colored bitty. There would be no fights today at least.

There were no Muffet or Sansies at this center, making him the only lazy type bitty in the place. Her didn’t mind, maybe there would be other new arrivals later on, but in the meantime, the Lil Bro settled for a well deserved nap.

Days went on, event less save for the few people coming in the check out the bitties. He enjoyed quietly observing the bitties show off their best attributes to the visitors but whenever someone asked to see him, he would feign sleeping, or sneak away inside one of the opaque tunnels so as to not have to be called upon. He really didn’t care much for humans in general and monsters didn’t often adopt bitties for personal use. Something about having a monster adopt a smaller monster as a pet was, though not socially unethical, always a bit weird and he really didn’t like the idea of being adopted as a proxy child. 

He was good just hanging out with bitties, for however long those times would last. He liked talking to all of them, getting to know them a little, learning what they had been through and what they experienced or wanted to experience, even if he never really called any of them a friend, they were still his temporary companions. Over his time in the different centers of the city, he had also picked up a few tricks that some bitties used to grab attention from potential owners and he gladly shared those with others, since being adopted seemed so important to them. He was far from an expert, never having been adopted himself, but he prided himself on being a good judge of character. Depending on what kind of relationship the bitties wanted with their adopter, he could point out certain things they might need to look for when visitors came in.

* * *

His human paused mixing the garnish buttermilk, somewhat of a sad expression marring her face.

“You really didn’t make any long lasting friends?” she asked quietly. “Like... at all?”

Honey took in her expression, feeling a little guilty. “Bitties at centers come and go, some stay a few days, others get transferred after a few months.” he tried to explain. “Any friendship one makes in there is kind of… ephemeral.”

“So is school, don’t you think?” She resumed whipping the milk, reaching for the cup of honey she had prepared to mix it in. “I know it’s not the same, but just because something is short lived doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy it fully.”

“Who says I didn’t?” he asked with a savvy grin. “I quite enjoyed myself seeing all of them grow and achieve their full potential before finding a good family.”

“Yes but…” she hesitated. “You’re such a wonderful person, it seems unfair you couldn’t make any close friends.”

A quiet shiver ran up his spine at the compliment. A person huh? It was so much like her to be worried for his sake, not as a pet, but as his own being. Was that why she was worried about him being lonely? She had nothing to be worried about though. He did get close to some bitties eventually.

“Well actually, there was really just one I suppose...” he whispered to himself. His sockets lidded affectionately at the memory of that particular day. He could never forget it. It was largely thanks to him he had been able to get past his untrusting nature. He who had made it possible for him to find his beloved Queen.

“Honey?”

He looked up to her to find her watching him curiously. He brought his hand to his face and noted his cheekbones were warm. He must have been lost in thought for a moment and he shook his skull to get rid of his blush, instead focusing back on what they were doing.

“Nothing,” he said, getting up and leaning over the bowl she held. “How is the garnish coming along?” He took in a deep breath, humming at the honey scented mix. “Smells so good~!”

He dipped his bony finger in the frosting, quickly shoving it behind his teeth before she could stop him.

“Honey Bee!” she playfully chastised him. “At least wait for the cake to be done before licking the bowl!”

  
  
He chuckled evilly, dodging her playful swat to swipe another handful of frosting. With his haste to eat it, he smacked himself in the jaw, sending frosting flying everywhere, including a spatter across her face. She blinked in surprise a few times, before wiping the frosting off and licking her fingers, a new fit of giggles taking over her. He quickly joined in with his own laugh. 

  
  


The past didn’t matter. 

  
  


All he needed was his lovely Queen.

  
  
  
  
  


No body else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honey! if you do that, there won't be enough frosting left for the cake!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this little retrospective into Honey's life at the center,  
> writing bitties interactions was so much fun, I want to do that again!
> 
> Tell me what you think! 
> 
> Who would Honey Bee allow himself to be close friend with?


	16. Katsuke's Little Word In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's note on Septembre 15, 2020

Transcript:

Hi everyone!

Katsuke here!

First off:

**THANK YOU SO MUCH**

for all the love and attention you have been giving this fic! Seeing and reading your comments make my day every single time, makes me so happy!

THANK YOU!

On to the reason you’re seeing this: So I’m officially inviting you to go back and read the new chapters 4 and 4.5! 

As I mentioned before, I’ve been working on a rewrite of Chapter 4 - My Sticky Honey Bee

Mainly because I felt it should have more impact and some details that I hadn’t actually planned at the time became more important as I developed the story.

I’ve also fully embraced the E rating since then, so you can be sure it’s extra spicy now compared to before~

(You’re welcome!)

However, I might have gotten a **little “ _carried away_ ”** and while the original was 1 872 words, it is now 15 597 words. So instead of giving you one huge 30 pages chapter, I split it in two parts which of course will be uploaded at the same time.

That being said, if you started reading this fic after September 15th, 2020 you already got the new chapters, so dont worry. I’m hoping you’ll like them! Dont hesitate to comment your opinion and let me know what you think!

Happy reading!


	17. My Suspicious Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queen bee leaves a worrisome history search.  
> Some truths come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you didn't wait too long~!
> 
> I have to admit however: This chapter is the main reason I was rewritting chapter 4.  
> And it will probably make more sense now that the rewrite is done.
> 
> I hope you can enjoy it regardless,  
> I do believe some of you have been looking forward to what happens in this.
> 
> (o, ~ )

My Suspicious Honey Bee

It had been a fun few weeks. 

Curtains were slowly closing in on summer and the colors of fall began to pop up left and right, layering the sidewalks with colorful checkered patterns of fallen leaves. 

It had only been a few hours since his human had left for work. He had taken his first nap, and had refilled the cat’s water fountain - not that it was empty, but the pump’s noise was gritting on him and it made less noise the fuller the fountain was. The soft trickling sounds having resumed, he grabbed his mug and shortcutted on the counter to make himself another cup of Honey Dew. That’s what she had started to call it. Since it was basically just honey and hot water, he thought it would be more akin to a tea, but she had insisted since there were no leaves in it, it was best to call it something else. He had offered the term potion...

“Because when you make it, it’s magically delicious,” he had elaborated with a mischievous wink. That had made her giggle sweetly.

Even though this was what he would drink in the morning with her, they couldn’t call it a coffee either, since the littlest drop of caffeine only ever came from her own spoon with which she stirred the beverage when she made it for him. Therefore, after some reflection, she had decided on the term Honey Dew.

“Doesn’t that usually refer to condensation and rain and stuff?” he had questioned then.

“Well, technically yeah, but I figured it was a morning thing and besides,” she added with a lazy smile, “it’s better than calling it ‘My bitty’s dilluated honey morning potion beverage’.”

Couldn’t argue with that logic. Beside, it had a nice ring to it. 

Honey Dew it was. 

He set the electric kettle back on its base and carefully carried his drink to the desk. He flicked the power button on her laptop and sat down, sipping peacefully while the start up screen appeared before him with a chime. He glanced up and spotted the dark fur of the sleeping Prince in the cat bed on the top shelf of the desk. It had been his idea to put a bed there since Tyrant, unlike the old cat, didn’t usually climb up that much. It had become his favorite spot, safe and away from the calico terror. 

It was not always war in the kingdom of his Queen Bee. The cats had an unspoken - well mostly unspoken - rivalry but more often than not, they cohabited peacefully. Prince was the first son and Honey had to admit he had a special soft spot for the older cat. He had several health problems, had lost almost half of his claws and though he had to take daily medicine, he was still very agile. Tyrant, on the other hand, was more of a chubby younger sister with both a profound love of cuddles and a nasty territorial attitude. Honey and her often indulge into staring contests, ones he had yet to lose, but she got her wins elsewhere. She had apparently decided the floor was her’s and even if she did agree to share it most of the time, she would sometimes go out of her way to nudge and nibble at the Prince’s shoulder to get him off the floor. He would usually simply jump on a chair, or even just a low step and that would make her stop. They actually made a game out of it. It looked like a combination of playing ‘the floor is lava’ and ‘raft’, the youngest feline happily playing the role of the shark.

He always watched their game, half amused, half worried when the striped prince would get caught. He was ready to intervene if the kicks and paw slaps ever escalated to more than playful taps or warning jabs. No claws allowed in the games, their Queen had stated, and they knew their treats would be compromised if they didn’t listen. 

Despite everything however, this morning had gone very well. He had just decided to play some flash games on one of the sites she had shown him. He enjoyed the mainstream game as much as anyone, but something about the small indie games had charmed him: Most of them were stupidly funny to play.

He opened up a browser window and by default, it opened on the email account his human had set up for him. She had explained he could use it not only to chat with her at a distance when she was away, but also use it to register to some sites to get newsletters and sometimes little extras for games. They had also used it once to take advantage of a promo code for one of her orders online.

He was about to type in the site’s address when he noticed a new message popping up on their chat link.

_Message from : QueenB [11:23 am]_

_I’m going to swing by the bitty center after work, if you want anything?_

Honey hummed, tilting his head in thoughts. That was unusual. She'd normally bring him with her when she visited the center. Oh well. Maybe he could ask her to grab some bitty snacks while she was there. They had a good selection, and it had been a while since they had run out. He typed a quick reply.

_Message from : HoneyB [11:26 am]_

_We’re out of monster candy. Give me a moment, I’ll check what they have._

He opened up a new tab on the browser and typed in the bitty center’s address. The website was well made, easy to navigate. Every center had a different inventory, but by searching what product or info you wanted, it was easy to see which center had what through localization. He clicked on the food section and quickly, the screen was filled with several dozens of snack and candy varieties. They all looked very good, but he wanted to know if they had his favorite: honey-lemon candy. His mouth watered just thinking about it. Those were the perfect balance of bitter and sweet magic taste. He enjoyed them so much, he often made an effort to leave them to melt on his tongue, even if it would usually end up making him drool a bit. He’d then end up with a sticky skull. Good thing it was easy to wash off.

‘oh…’ he suddenly thought, ‘We’re about just out of bitty soap too.’

He clicked on the search bar at the top of the website and started to type ‘Bitty’… then waited for the recent searches to appear so he could select the cleaning product but when his eyes looked up at the screen, he paused.

“Bitty... heat?” he read out loud, staring at the suggested words.

It was at the top of the auto-suggestion with a little clock next to it to show this was a recent search but... Who could have entered that on there? His eyes widened. The only possible answer was… Her? She had looked up bitty heats on the bitty center’s website? 

Curiosity guiding his fingers, he clicked on the suggestion and followed the link. There weren’t many results, mainly just documentation and a few imageless products. He skimmed through the first one. It told him what he basically already knew: Because bitties were monsters, some could occasionally get seasonal heats, the frequency depending on individuals and environment. They were usually pretty mild and the bitties would just be extra cuddly or demand special attention for a few days. There was a huge paragraph on how to deal with dog types. Those types had bigger chances of being sensitive to touch and smell and could sometimes pose problems for their caretakers. The text was quite informative on how to relieve the bitty’s extra magic energy through a variety of activities and ended with the recommendation to consult a bitty professional if heat symptoms became too intense or the behaviors became problematic. A simple magic inhibitor could be prescribed to lessen the effect of the heat until it passed.

He blinked at the screen. Sure he knew this was a thing bitties sometimes went through, but it wasn’t that common. A vast majority of the skeleton bitties didn’t even have heats. This was more of an elemental or animal type thing. 

He glanced down at the offered product. There was no purchase option, since this was under prescription only, but he read the description. 

Magic Inhibitor: Don’t let the heat eat away at your comfort!

What a lame slogan. Were heats really that bad? He couldn’t remember there ever was a time when he…

His hand smacked his forehead. 

Of course! That one time he had tried to force feed love back into her soul only for his own ill-timed lust to bounce back at him. That! That had thrown him into a temporary heated frenzy. Did she think it was going to be a recurring thing? 

But… That didn’t make sense. 

That was so long ago, over three months. And it only happened once. Before that, they had been living together for months, almost a year, without anything ever happening. Sure their jokes had taken some time to progressively grow flirtier, but it had been a natural evolution as they both became more comfortable with each other. He always loved the way the flirty one liners had a way of making her pulse rise, her soul flutter and one day, she had responded with her own suggestive joke and it would be a lie to say it didn’t have the same effect on him. One dirty joke leading to another, they were eventually comfortable enough to play-flirt with each other on an almost daily basis.

Stars knew it was more than play for him now though, especially since that day. Images kept creeping into his mind and on certain days, it took him everything to not just grab those inviting hips as they swayed for him, to kiss the breasts he nuzzled as he slept against, to taste her tongue if she ever gave him the smallest opening...

...

Stars! Was he having heats all this time without even knowing?!

He shook his head, waving those thoughts away. Of course he wasn’t! If what he had felt was any indication of what a real seasonal heat was, what he was feeling when looking at her was completely different. He was a grown bitty with completely natural wants and needs. Plus, who could blame him, living with such a wonderful woman. Her mere presence near him was enough to make his soul throb happily. She was so gentle and made him feel safe and cared for, more than he had ever thought possible over the long years spent in the centers. She had settled into his life the same way he did hers like two puzzle pieces meant to be together. 

Not that he didn’t want more.

But that would have to be on her own terms. 

Talking to her about it now would risk jeopardizing what they had taken so much time to achieve. He knew now more than ever that she had trust issues. No one she had been with had ever given her reason not to have those and he could kind of relate to that to some extent. There was no doubt in his mind that if he pushed her, she would close up, if not on pure reflex, and the last thing he wanted was for her to go back to her shy self from when they first met, when she was still so guarded he had to rely on monster food to compensate. What she now gave him through their current bond was better, more fulfilling, than any amount of candies any center could ever sell. 

He turned back to the screen, not really looking at it. The words on the screen stared back at him. There was a growing worry emerging from the back of his mind. A bad feeling he hadn’t felt in ages. Doubts. 

This whole heat thing… Was that why she had so willingly agreed to help him on that day? Because she thought he was in heat and couldn’t control himself? For sure, with the way she had looked at him, it had to be more than that. For a while, she had gotten really into it, despite her efforts to keep him from touching her. 

Something crawled up his back. It felt wrong. 

He didn’t want this to be a one sided thing nor did he want her to feel obligated to help him. He wanted it to be intimate moments for the both of them, where she’d enjoy herself just as much as he did. 

What was alarming was that, from the looks of it, she seemed to think this was a problem. Did she really think he needed those magic inhibitors? Was she so afraid of him she was considering putting him on meds? Why hadn’t they just talked about it?

He crossed his arms, frowning at the screen like it had just insulted him. Was that the reason she was going to the center today? Because she didn’t trust him to respect her boundaries? Going so far as to get a prescription for him, without even asking him for his opinion? He couldn’t help feeling betrayed. 

After all this time, he hadn’t brought up the subject, and neither had she, so it had become like it almost never happened. Except it did. And it would have worried him if the awkwardness hadn’t settled so quickly after. He assumed it had just become part of their history together; A shared moment of intimacy they could or not have again when they both felt like it one day. That first time had been rushed due to his magic acting up, but he was willing to wait for her to give him the go ahead if she wanted to do it again… or not.

A light sound coming from the screen interrupted his thoughts, reminding him he still hadn’t gotten back to her with his selection of candy. He clicked on the chat to find she had had the same thought.

_Message from : QueenB [01:04 pm]_

_you ok? you fall asleep or something?_

Not a bad idea, actually. He would probably need a nap after to process everything. In the meantime, he had so many questions, so many things they needed to talk about. But this wasn’t a conversation they should have over text. And to ask her not to go to the center right now would prompt more questions, leading to them having the conversation regardless. He decided to simply answer her original question.

  
  


_Message from : HoneyB [01:06 pm]_

_sorry… got distracted. they got honey lemon candy. plus we’re low on bitty soap._

_Message from : QueenB [01:07 pm]_

_Great. I’ll be a bit late. see you later my Honey Bee! <3 _

He sighed. Nothing else he could do right now. Maybe his mind would settle after a nap…

  
  


****

Well that was unfruitful...

He had tried to sleep off his questioning mind, but he just couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, his thoughts kept spiraling down the rabbit hole, trying to pinpoint what he had done to make her take that step versus what she had done to address it. He found nothing. Nada. Nothing that he could think of that made it seem she was uncomfortable with him. If she had been planning this for a while, she had hidden it well. If she hadn’t, he couldn’t figure out what had happened recently that would have sparked that idea in her. He didn’t know which was worse.

He had resisted the urge to send her another message a few hours later, saying _we needed to talk_ , knowing full well this was anxiety inducing for about anybody, let alone the over sensitive woman. But without an outlet, his mind kept going in circles. He was both nervous at the prospect of having a serious talk with her and angry she had gone behind his back to get him on some kind of medication. By now, he was certain that was what she had done, and the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became she was hiding something else. He had become so self-reliant on his ability to read her soul, he had forgotten she was a human underneath. It hurt him to think it but, he had always distrusted humans for a reason. They were tricky, lying bastards that hurt others and got rid of things and people when they didn’t go their way. He had seen it over and over at the centers. 

He had thought she was different...

Sad to say but over the course of only a few hours, his old self had managed to resurface, the one unable to trust in anyone except himself. 

He glared at the clock, sitting back on the couch, arms crossed, face stern as he waited for the telltale sound of her coming home. He still wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and would wait to see how she was going to bring up the subject. A last chance to redeem his trust. How was she going to tell him she thought he had a problem and wanted him to slack off his attention? Was this even something she wanted? She had never complained about him being too cuddly or that his playful flirting was going too far. He had never felt anything bad coming from her either, other than her usual bashfulness and maybe a little embarrassment when he complimented her. She would usually smile at him, or even play along, gracing him with a playful kiss on his skull, or an exaggerated sway of the hip as she mockingly reprimanded him. Had he read her wrong?

He rubbed at his skull vigorously, as if the answer was stuck to the back of his skull. If she was willing to go behind his back to fix something she didn’t even discuss with him, what else was she hiding that he hadn’t read in her soul all those weeks? All those months?

What else wasn’t she telling him?

What else had she done behind his back?

All those doubts were driving him mad. What did she want? What was too much, and what was just enough for her? She didn’t need to go all ‘magical inhibitors’ on his ass - not that he had one to begin with - she just needed to speak her mind!

He was jarred out of his thoughts by the sound of keys turning in the lock and he jumped off the couch to hop on the counter surveying the kitchen. The two felines, who had kept him company while he mumbled to himself in the living room, made their way into the kitchen, tails high in excitement at their master’s return. The door opened and she took a step in, closing the door with a nudge of her hip, her hands full with paper bags. She greeted both the cats before looking up at him. 

“Honey, I’m home,” she sang and instantly, he felt his soul throb restlessly. 

He watched her balance the bags in her hands while she kicked off her shoes like she usually did when coming home. Her mere presence in the room had quelled most of his anger and he was left with a painful longing that contrasted so much with his previous thoughts, it almost gave him whiplash. 

She dropped the bags on the counter next to him before leaning in and kissing his skull softly. After a few seconds, she cleared her throat and he realized he still hadn’t said a word nor moved.

“Oh err... welcome back my Queen,” he greeted mechanically, scratching the back of his skull as he eyed the bags. His mind rebooted at its sight and he tried to remember the words he had practiced in his head for the last hours or so. “Did you find all you needed?” 

There was a nervousness hidden in her body language behind her work-tired eyes and the relieved smile she had from being home but still, she nodded and started to unpack her purchases. “Yes, they had a new brand of bitty snack they did not put on their site yet, so I thought you’d like to try it.” As she spoke, she handed him a small yellow package containing bone shaped jellies. “They’re a mixed pack so if you find a flavor you like, we can buy more of that one later. I also bought lunch on my way home, I didn’t feel like cooking.” 

_Was it a feint? a ruse?_

He stared at the plastic bag, the little bony treats peeking at him from the clear patch in the idiotic design. He eyed it carefully, almost suspiciously, but all he could see was they offered a calcium supplement. No inhibitors here. He lifted his face to hers and saw she was observing him, her brows slightly furrowed.

“Is everything ok?” she asked, and he glanced down at the rest of her purchases. 

The bag was now empty, the honey-lemon candies, the bitty soap and other snacks now spread out onto the counter, along with a new sepia colored shirt and a pair of khakis for him. Was she hiding them? If she wasn’t going to bring it up, he would have to himself. They could not NOT talk about it.

“What happened to the inhibitors?” he said and instantly, he regretted how accusatory his tone had sounded. Her eyes went wide in surprise.

“W-what?” 

“Weren’t you going to get inhibitors too?” He couldn’t help the upset frown forming on his own face. She obviously knew what he was talking about, if the nervous sweat forming on her temple was anything to go by. 

“W-what are you t-talking about, Honey Bee?” she stuttered, looking away. 

Was she not even going to talk about it? Was she planning on feeding him the damn pills without his knowledge? That was basically drugging him! How could she!?

“You know full well what I’m talking about,” he snapped at her, “I saw the history search you did on the bitty website. I’m pretty sure this was the main purpose of your trip to the center, otherwise you would have waited for the weekend so we could go together.” Calling her plan to her face did not feel as satisfying as he thought it would be. All he could feel were claws of betrayal running across his soul, making him bleed distrust and the way her face paled as she looked at him didn’t help one bit.

“Honey, I…” she tried to come up with an explanation, but the words were getting stuck in her throat. “It’s not what you think, I didn’t…”

“You’re a terrible liar so don't even try,” he said, a warning in his voice. “You’re going to try and tell me you visiting the center by yourself had nothing to do with it?”

Her gaze ran from his, confirming his doubts. He didn’t need to read her soul to see the guilt crawling all over her back. She would make it so much worse for herself if she tried to hide any more, so he was kind of relieved to see her shoulders slump in resignation. She was not a fighter, not for her own sake anyway, and she apparently still had enough integrity to admit when she was caught.

“I won’t lie, Honey,” she said slowly, like she was bracing herself. “You’re right, I did go to the center to ask about bitty heats.”

Honey had to refrain from letting out a loud _HA_. She was talking, he didn’t need to rub it in further. But that didn’t mean she was out of the woods yet.

“So where are they?” he pressed on, crossing his arms with a scowl worthy of a Boss. “The very least you could do is tell me before you try to drug me.”

“I was not going to-” she protested, but he didn’t let her finish. 

“What happened to standing up for yourself?” he asked, his voice a little louder than intended. “If dirty jokes or some stuff I say make you uncomfortable, there are less drastic ways to get me to stop, starting by _telling_ me. ”

“I told you it’s not what you think!” she suddenly yelled, her unusual high pitched voice taking him by surprise. It was like inadvertently stepping on a cat’s paw, he couldn’t help feel bad about it.

She grasped at her heaving chest, like she was in pain, like her own body was fighting her. He could hear the tightening of her throat that choked up her words as hyperventilation threatened to overtake her, her shaking knees and her trembling hands throwing off her guard, her eyes tearing up, making her look weak and desperate even as she tried to face the situation. He knew these were the motions her body went through, almost like an allergic reaction, when she faced any kind of confrontation. He hated them just about as much as she did. And he hated he had caused them.

He waited a moment for her to compose herself. Even in the fog of his anger, he didn’t want to push too hard, not that she needed much to get overwhelmed. He hated the way she was looking at him, so hurt, her shoulders hiked up and tensed in anxiety. He could see she was already regretting yelling at him as she roughly wiped her eyes, trying to get rid of the nervous tears. But they kept coming, and a bubble of frustration rose in her soul at her lack of control. Something deep inside him, an instinct of some kind reminded him his goal in life was to help her _through_ those moments, not cause them. 

He uncrossed his arms with a sigh and held a welcoming hand toward her. It took her a moment before she slipped her shaky fingers in between his phalanges. He whispered her name, repeating and telling her to breathe until her eyes focused back on him. Even full of tears, they were so beautiful. They had that same fascinating depth as that day, at the bitty center, when they first met. They were looking just as hurt too, like she was expecting the worst, like she was slowly resigning herself to be hated and despised for the rest of eternity. She was crumbling inside. She was holding her breath, trying so hard to fight off the darkness filling up her soul. It was fighting a landslide. She couldn’t do it alone. She took a step toward him and he guided her face to his so their foreheads touched.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said it like that,” he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as well. “Please talk to me.”

“You didn’t listen,” she hiccupped, pressing her forehead harder on him as if she wanted the words to sink in his skull. It wasn’t much of a reprimand more than it was an observation, like when the bus is late, you can’t really blame the driver, but it still sucks.

And she was right. He hadn’t even given her a chance to explain, too focused he was to get the words he had turned over and over in his head all afternoon. He had exploded at her like a five years old who needed a nap. Heck, he did need one.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said carefully, calmly, focusing on the drain of her emotions. They weren’t the best and left a weird aftertaste in his mouth, like an uncomfortable fuzz over his own soul, but he ignored it. At this time, it was all he could manage. “I’m listening now.”

It took the both of them a few moments before she had enough control over her breathing to form words. Even when she spoke again, it was like every syllable were stones thrown in a bucket of water, splashing around on impact, their density threatening to make it overflow.

“It’s… it’s all my fault,” she spoke softly, guilt flowing out of her words. “I didn’t know.”

He waited for her to keep going but when she didn’t, he prompted, “What didn’t you know, my lovely Queen?” He kept his voice low, calm, almost cooing out her namesake, hoping to keep both her and himself calm. He wanted to trust her so much, he really did. He hadn’t realized how much it was hurting him that he had stopped doing so.

“That time, I thought for sure you had suddenly gone into some kind of heat,” she explained with half a sob. “I thought… it was normal. I thought it would be okay, that I could help you… just take the edge off… It wasn’t your fault.”

Of course that’s where this had all started. Her brows were scrunched up in derision, like the mere thought was worth nothing or as if she was being ridiculous. She swallowed loudly before resuming.

“But then, a monster at work said it could be painful and… it said so too when I looked it up. And I felt so ashamed! Because while you were… I was..." the rest of her thought died as her face suddenly turned a deeper shade of red. She was still pressed against him, but it felt more like she was trying to disappear into him than seeking comfort. “I didn’t want you to hurt, or for you to be uncomfortable in any way. I couldn’t let it happen again. I didn’t mean to-” With each word, her breathing hiked, and he squeezed her fingers in his hand, trying to ground her. She placed her free hand on her face, trying to hide behind it. “I thought it was a heat. I swear!” 

His sockets narrowed in confusion. What was she ashamed of? He remembered the look in her eyes, the want in her voice as she asked him if he wanted more. He hadn’t imagined it, she had gotten turned on by his depraved state, which was kinda hot but... But then, why had she refused for him to touch her? 

It dawned on him she was assuming at the time he was in heat. Her trying to say not to let his ‘heat’ make things weird was because she thought he had no control over it, not wanting to take advantage of him.

And she had ended up repressing what it had sparked inside her too. Talk about misunderstanding! 

“I went to the center to ask questions,” she continued before he could say anything, keeping her eyes closed, her forehead hot against him. “I thought I was going to die of embarrassment, but I knew I had to, because if it really was a heat and you could be in pain if it happened again… I had to be prepared or I just wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

He blinked at her, mildly shocked, his previous anger completely forgotten. She must have kept expecting a heat to pop up unannounced one day like it had that day, making her worry more and more as the weeks went by. How could he have not noticed?

“But then… they asked me how many days it had lasted, and when I said it was just one evening, they… they told me it wasn’t a heat at all!” she blurred out, her face reddening with each word. “They said it sounded like you had a magic overload. They even asked me if I had been giving you too much candy or something and then it clicked. I realized… it was me!” 

“Wait, what?”

She suddenly seemed to realize she was still leaning on him, a point of contact against his skull and jerked away like it had burned her. The abrupt loss of counterbalance threatened to make him fall forward, but he managed to steady himself. He was left standing awkwardly on the counter while her hand grabbed the front of her shirt once more. “See? I’m doing it again! Every time I feel overwhelmed, I just dump it all on you and the excess magic is harming you…” 

“No! of course not!” he protested, all but insulted by the idea of her harming him. Was that what she thought? If she hadn’t been so distraught about the whole thing, it would have been almost endearing. “Clearly, you have misconceptions about how this works.” 

The look she gave him confirmed she truly believed it was her fault and he would have to be a lot more persuasive to get her to think otherwise. Going from the little information she had gotten from the center, and since they would never even begin to imagine what a Lil Bro could have possibly tried, let alone how her unique soul worked, of course it would be the easiest thing to assume he had somehow gotten too much candy or somehow managed to overload his magic. They were both specimens off the beaten tracks. Him, for attempting magical manipulation only other types of bitties were known for and her, because she had this unheard of mirroring ability shielding her soul. He could understand why she hadn’t, but she really should have come to him if she had questions. It was time to set some facts straight and ease her mind on a couple of things. 

He shook his head, “Your energy is so sweet and tender, it doesn’t hurt at all. On the contrary… it’s the best thing I’ve ever felt.” His words seemed to help her calm down but she still seemed wary. He shoved his hands into his hoodie’s pocket in the best imitation of a laid back Sansy he could manage, getting his educational face on. “Bitties absorb energy from their bond. No matter the type of source, it all converts to the same kind of magic in the end. Fire Elementals rely on body heat for example. Some feed off the electromagnetic pulse in the body, while others feed on feelings.”

“You told me that before,” she said, a note of wary confusion in her voice. She was looking at him, waiting for him to get to the point.

“I also told you before that I could feed off your emotions surplus, and since you easily get overwhelmed, I don’t need to focus on anything but that.” He resisted the urge to start pacing on the counter, settling for just shifting his weight on his feet back and forth. “But that doesn’t mean you can overwhelm me. Human emotions aren’t that filling, more like a 10 to 1 ratio,” he added, waving his hand approximately at her. That was a completely made up number. It wasn’t so easy to calculate and every bitty was different, with different levels of conversion capacity, processing capability and general energetical need. But he wasn’t going to go in detail right now, that wasn’t the point. “If you were a monster, that'd be another story, since the magic would be more raw, but when it comes to humans, it’s safe to say we can never get enough.” _Especially when they have curves like yours,_ he kept himself from adding.

She had definitely calmed down as he spoke, even if there was barely anything new to what he was telling her, having something logical to focus on had stopped her shaking and the fingers clutching at her chest had relaxed into a loose grip. She was carefully considering his words and he let her take a moment to let everything sink in. 

“So… I can’t make you overload?” she still asked.

“Nope.”

“Because I’m not a monster.” More of an observation than a question, but he still answered.

“Even if you tried.”

She slowly nodded to herself in understanding. At least, she _seemed_ to understand. but he realized it wasn’t all for the best when her clever mind popped the right question.

“But then… what happened that day?”

He should have seen this coming. Actually, he kind of did, but the question still caught him off guard. He was so focused on getting the misunderstanding cleared up, getting the guilt off her shoulder that he hadn’t noticed the corner he was walking himself into. His own anger had subsided, quelled by his Queen’s confession and the exposition of the huge misunderstanding at hand. But now that she knew he hadn’t gone in heat and she hadn’t been the cause of the overload, her questioning was unavoidable. If it wasn’t her fault, whose was it?

His of course.

He had to come clean. He had to say it. It would be hypocritical of him not to be honest at this point. As much as he had resented her for going to the center behind his back, he had pretty much done the same. Part of him wanted to tell her. The rest wanted to crawl under a rock until he dusted. Instead of making her happy by working alongside her, he had tried to work from the inside without her knowledge. It didn’t get much more manipulative than that, even if he only had the best intentions at the time. At the time, he also didn’t know how much she despised liars and manipulators and what they had done to her. It was probably the reason why it hadn’t worked to begin with. Her defenses against outside intent forcing its way in were ingrained in her on a subconscious level. 

Would she resent him for trying to mess with her soul? For trying to do something any Lil Bro - although he doubted even a Dream bitty could do better - wasn’t meant to even think about? Would she hate him for forcing the consequences onto her afterward and putting her through so much anguish? Would she be wary of him after? Would she not trust him from this moment on, worried he was influencing her soul? 

It hadn’t worked of course… but he had still tried and that somehow made it worse. At least if it had worked, she could have seen how much better she was feeling after and maybe understood he had only tried to nudge her in the right direction. But the whole thing had unceremoniously blown in his face and in the end, he had put her in an even more awkward position. If it wasn’t for that look she had given him, that wanting, hungry gaze that his mind had imprinted in the back of his skull since, he would have regretted the whole incident.

What he did regret at this precise moment was that he now knew he was responsible for unknowingly causing her pain over several weeks if not months. By not being honest, by keeping secrets, by not admitting his mistake, by being selfish, he had made her worry and had hurt her. He was the worst bitty in bitty history.

He swallowed the ball of apprehension in his nonexistent throat. Why hadn’t he brought it up earlier? Would it have been any easier?

He closed his sockets, bracing himself for his own confession.

“You have done nothing wrong,” he started, his voice slow and calm. She would be arguing this is in just a second, so he quickly pressed on. “I’m the one responsible for what happened that day. I was the one who was messing around and lost control. You did nothing wrong,” he repeated, the weight on his soul making him look down at his feet. “You were in fact the most perfect human in bitty history, dealing with my needy bullshit.”

Confusion spread across her face, her eyes widening at his words, then narrowing with guarded suspicion. “What… do you mean? What did you do?” She took another step back, and he fought the need to reach out after her.

“I... tried to…” he hesitated. He hated the words forming in his mind. None of them sounded the way he wanted so he forced the words out. “I tried to use your soul’s ability to influence your mood.”

She stared at him, unblinking as her face paled. “You… what?”

Well... the cat was out of the bag now. He couldn’t stop now even if he wanted to. So he kept going. “I thought if I could force feed back some of the positivity you had shared with me, then it would make you feel better when you felt down.” He shifted his feet on the counter, suddenly unsure what to do with himself. He scratched the back of his skull, avoiding her eyes. “Except… I’m not a Dream bitty so it’s not like I knew what I was doing and… I ended up projecting my own feelings instead. I messed up and... I lost control.” 

There was a pregnant pause as they stood in the kitchen, several feet apart, like time itself was watching how things would unfold. He risked a quick glance at her face. She kept silent, her lips pursed into a thin line as she stared at him, her face unreadable as she processed his words. What he wouldn’t give to know what was going through her mind, right now. He couldn’t feel anything from her, like she had thrown a curtain over her soul. Was that how she was going to be now? Keeping her emotions bottled up, not trusting him to go near her again?

“Your… own feelings?” she questioned, breaking the silence. Her eyes were searching nervously, as if she was trying to find new meaning to the words. There seemed to be a gradual realization and a line appeared between her brows. Her jaw set and she bluntly asked “You projected your sexual urges onto me?” 

She had spoken so softly, barely above a whisper, but he still flinched. The choice of words aside, he cowered under the accusation that tainted them.

“Not really the words I’d use...”

The look she gave him made him pause.

“You projected your feelings on me,” she repeated as if she was only now understanding them. “So it wasn’t…” her voice trailed off and it looked like a weight had suddenly lifted from her shoulders, her next breath coming out just a hair short of a relieved whimper like she had been holding her breath for a century and was now just taking her first real breath of air. It was quickly followed by a small dry laugh. “I see…”

He blinked at her, shaking his head then frowned in further confusion, “Wait, you’re not mad?” 

“Of course I’m mad!” she snapped at him, the reproach flaring in her eyes making him flinch again. “You just said you were manipulating me! What is wrong with you!” 

Magic rose to his skull. His tiny fist clenched at his side and he shouted back, “Nothing is wrong with me! I’m not the one denying myself of having physical pleasure over some biased logic of some kind!”

She pointed an accusing finger at him, her blush betraying the bullseye he just hit. “I did not get turned on! That was you projecting on me!”

“I was not!”

“You just said you were!”

“I was not!” he repeated, stomping his feet on the counter with each word. Wow, now that was really bringing out the Papy in him. Realizing they would get nowhere fast with this kind of arguing, he huffed and crossed his arms again, explaining without looking at her. “I messed up and it rebounded on me! That’s why I got all hot and bothered on my own. You had nothing to do with it, and I had nothing to do with what you felt.”

There was another pause during which they avoided each other’s gaze. He noticed, from the corner of his sockets, the two cats watching them from the bedroom door. Where they usually could barely stand next to each other, they both seemed too absorbed in watching the scene unfolding before them to care. When he looked back to her, she was shoulder deep in denial, trying to swim her way out. She knew Honey didn’t lie. If the look on her face was anything to go by, she was in the middle of a more profound dilemma. He didn’t want her to dwell on her feelings for the moment, so he took a breath to compose himself and spoke the words he should have spoken weeks ago.

“I’m sorry.”

She blinked at him, suddenly pulled from her vicious train of thoughts. For a moment, it was as if she had forgotten what he could be sorry about, but it came back to her. The apology had softened her mood though. A fault confessed is half redressed, as she usually says. But that didn’t mean he was going to get out of this easily.

She glared at him, speaking in a reprimanding but controlled tone.

“You know how I feel about manipulators.”

“I know.” He closed his sockets, repentant.

“What you did was horrible.” Her words had more bite than her tone, as if testing his reaction. 

“What I _tried_ to do,” he was quick to reply, “was horrible, yes.”

“I’m mad at you,” she stated, perhaps more as a reminder to herself. She tried to give herself a bit more countenance, shifting her weight on her left hip, right hand resting on the opposite side.

“I know.” 

“I thought you were hurting.”

 _I kind of am right now actually_ , he thought, but he kept the comment to himself and simply replied, “I know, I’m sorry.”

His head still low, he peeked to look at her face. He had never seen her like this and it dawned on him they had never fought before. She had never expressed her frustration like this, never reprimanded him for anything. She was showing him a new side of herself, a determined and proud side he couldn’t help but love. 

He felt a sudden urge to kiss her but he kicked the feeling down. This really wasn’t the time. Instead, he closed his sockets, dragging his hands across his face to regain focus and let out a sigh.

“Look,” he started, looking away from her tempting lips. “I understand why you’re mad at me and you have every right to be. I never intended to put you in a situation where you would have to get answers from someone else. I was kind of hoping if you had troubles, you’d come to me.”

“You do realize how awkward that conversation would have been?” she huffed, crossing her arms with a pout.

“And that conversation at the center wasn’t?” he replied with a teasing smirk but immediately shriveled back under her sudden glare. “Sorry, you’re right. My bad.”

“I had to ask a professional. I was worried about you. Heat sounds awful.”

“It wasn’t a heat,” he corrected reflexively. 

"I didn't know what they were like. I really thought that was it but apparently, it was just you _experimenting_ on my soul!” He could hear the acid in her throat as she bit on the word.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“And instead of explaining, you leave me worried and thinking about how awful of a caretaker I am!”

“You’re not a bad caretaker,” he growled back, irked by belittling words she was using on herself. He had already made a point of telling her she had done nothing wrong, why was she still saying this stuff? “I should have known it was bothering more than you let on.”

“Of course it bothered me! You stupid bitty!” she barked back, her body tensing up again, “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship over some freaking temporary heat!”

That… hurt more than he thought it would. Not the stupid part. That, he could actually agree with. He grabbed at his grey sweater, the comical bee mascot’s expression on it warped in anguish as his fingers gripped the fabric. He braced himself. 

“So... what now?”

Her brow raised on her forehead, taken aback by the question. “What do you mean?” 

“You know…” 

He was torn. This really wasn’t how he had envisioned confessing his feelings to her, but she knew now. She knew he loved her, wanted her, _desired_ her. And she knew she wanted him too. She might not have come to terms with it for whatever reason, but there was no denying it. If she didn’t love him, he would be on his way back to the center the next day. A bitty admitting to trying to manipulate their owners like that would almost guarantee him never to be adopted again. If she did, she would have to allow herself to love and be loved again.

But she wasn’t ready.

That’s why he had wanted to wait to begin with. She was still too guarded, too scarred by her previous relationships to allow herself to accept affection. Already, he could feel the walls rising around her soul, caging it like their last 11 months together had never happened. All the while, her face seemed to settle into a blank expression.

“You won’t do it again, will you?” she asked softly, then she must have felt she hadn’t been specific enough. “Messing with my soul… or influencing my emotions.”

“No! Of course not!” 

“Because it wouldn’t work,” she half asked, half warned.

“I wouldn’t even try to find out, I promise.” The words had slipped past his teeth without even realizing. But it didn’t matter, because he knew they were true.

She turned to face the opposite wall, toward the bedroom where the cats backed up slowly, having been caught staring. She stayed like this for a minute, maybe more, then finally took a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m trusting you Honey Bee.” He could see the tip of her fingers digging into her arms as she held herself when she said his name like she was forcing herself to say the words. She probably was, and the fact she was going against her normal response was telling. “Now I know you won’t be in any pain and that you sure as heck won’t need those inhibitors, I say we try and forget this ever happened. It was just a regrettable accident.”

Honey’s hand fell limp at his side, a burning pain splitting his soul in half. One part wanted to jump in joy that she was willing to trust him, while the other cried in pain at the suggestion of overlooking the whole incident. The two sides wrung his soul like a wet cloth. He didn’t want to forget. They just couldn’t close that Pandora box. 

But she did need time.

A simple ‘Ok’ should have been his answer, if he could have just let the letters reach his teeth. But he couldn’t. She could take all the time in the world if she wanted, but he could not agree to just forgetting the whole thing.

“I won’t.” His stern voice made her flinch but she refused to turn around. He kept his voice low, making sure she could hear but toned down enough so as to not scare her. “I think this is the most honest we’ve ever been with each other and I don’t want this to stop. You’re important to me and I know this is hard for you, but you don’t have to say anything right now. I can wait as long as you need.”

There was a soft whine, practically a sob and he dared open a socket to look at her. Her back was still turned to him, her shoulders slightly shaking. Was she… crying?

“You idiot…” she mumbled softly after a moment. She then stepped forward, only pausing when she reached the bedroom door. “I’m going to bed. There are burgers in the bag if you want.”

He eyed the takeout back she had left by the door. 

“What about you..?”

“I’m not hungry,” she answered without looking back. She then went into the room, closing the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELP!!!
> 
> So much for his confession, wouldn't you say?  
> Should he have lied and told her it was a heat after all?
> 
> My main document for this story is now officially over 180 pages long!  
> And I only have 18 or so chapter written on the 33 planned (So yes, there is still plenty more to come my friends)!
> 
> I'm also planning of doing a chapter from the point of view of our Queen Bee, but I can't decide on the type of narrative.
> 
> So I'll let you pick!  
> Comment which type of narrative you would prefer Queen Bee's POV to be:
> 
> first person : "... I walked into the field."  
> second person : "... you walked into the field."  
> third person : "... she walked into the field."


	18. My Lonely Honey Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey is forced into social distancing by his Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Thank you for your patience, your comment and kudos!  
> You make my day!
> 
> This chapter is another long one so I cut it in two parts.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ^^

Chapter XVI : My Lonely Honey Bee.

Honey is forced into social distancing by his Queen

  
  


A soft cutesy song crescendoed in the dark room. The lively tune, accompanied by the vibration of the phone made slow work of waking the human. She stirred with a sleepy whine, her hand snaking out from under her pillow to blindly reach for her phone. Barely opening one eye, she pressed the snooze option on the screen and buried her face back into her pillow with a long exhausted sigh. She breathed in deeply, her rib cage expanding slowly next to him. She usually slept on her side and any normal day, he would be curled up against her chest, nuzzled into her comfortable breasts, but not today. Instead, he laid at her back, curled up as close as he could without touching.

Maybe after some time had passed, they could go back to their usual embrace, but until then, he was resigned to just sleep next to her instead. The magical energy replenishing his forces that flowed from her was so poor, he felt like he barely had the strength to get up. So instead, he rolled on his side and stared at her back.

Alerted by the sound of her alarm clock and her shuffling around in bed, Prince and Tyrant made their way into the bedroom, jumping on the bed to greet their master. They both took their places around her, Tyrant demanding her morning pets while Prince calmly waited for her to wake up some more. 

He shifted his head to look to the other side of the bed and watched the tall feline sit straight up on his pillow. His deep ocean color iris locked onto him, silently staring at the curled up bitty on the bed. The way his gaze stayed on him felt like he was silently encouraging him. Like an old noble royal being that had seen much worse.

But what did _he_ know? He was just a cat.

Tyrant let out a squeaky meow, demanding her owner to pet her. The heavy fingers twitched into the soft fur and she chirped some more. She was awake, he knew as much from the slightly different rhythm of her breathing. She was just embracing the comfort her two furry companions were giving her. The soft tranquility of the moment was interrupted however, when the phone started ringing again with the chiptune love song before she snoozed it a second time, barely quicker than before. Her fingertips tapped quietly on the phone while she did her usual checkup on her emails. He glanced her way, her shoulder and turned back blocking the view of what she was looking at. Perhaps there was a new chapter update. He heard a soft sigh that made him raise a brow but she simply pulled on the covers and curled up a little more, trying to get back to sleep.

“Don’t think it’s a good idea to fall back to sleep,” he warned her with a smile. She didn’t reply, simply huffing in resignation.

She slowly turned on her back, making sure she did not crush him as she did and set her phone face down on her chest.

“Don’t worry, I’m awake,” she mumbled with a shy, tired pout. 

“G'morning to you too,” he greeted back, sitting up beside her. It was still so hard for her to get out of bed in the morning. At least that, he knew, would never change. “Sleep well?”

She took a moment to look him over. “Did you?” 

There was a bit of worry in her voice. Obviously, he looked like he had spent the night up, which wasn’t far off; He could already feel the lack of magic.

“Guess you could say we are both _bone_ tired then,” he joked nonchalantly. A little pun in the morning never hurt anyone, right?

She grunted lowly and feigned a yawn.

Before she could reprimand him for his bad joke, the song started again. He looked down at his human’s face. Her eyes closed, she listened to the looping song without snoozing it. After three loops, he raised a hand to pinch her side.

“You go on ahead, I’ll be right there,” she said without opening her eyes.

Honey’s hand froze mid motion. “O-okay.”

He retrieved his hand and shifted around to get off the bed. He paused, his legs hanging over the edge of the bed and looked over his shoulder. She had rolled back around and was back to typing on her phone.

“Don’t fall back to sleep, ok?”

She hummed, nodding her head but did not say any more. He slouched a little, then got off the bed, keeping the shortcuts to a minimum. 

He made his way into the kitchen, followed by the two felines. Going through the living room, he climbed his way up the couch and jumped on her desk to sit, slightly out of breath, and watch over the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. He hoped she would follow her usual path. It was silly, but at this point, it meant the world to him. He listened for movements from the bedroom telling of her getting up, stretching. There was a quick sequence of claps and he wondered if she was actually slapping her cheeks to wake herself up. Finally, she appeared. Her steps were a bit more sluggish than usual, but she shuffled in regardless.

Out of the bedroom, into the kitchen, past the kettle, turning it on, then around the corner to the living room to pick up the kitties’ bowls to wash them while they swirled around her ankles.

A strange feeling of peace filled him up as he watched her go about her usual routine. For a moment, it was as if the universe made sense again. It didn’t matter he had spent most of the night on the couch. Didn’t matter that she hadn’t hugged or touched him in over 12 hours. Didn’t matter if her eyes avoided him. Didn’t matter-

Honey bit back the whine crawling up in his chest.

Of course it mattered. Everything she did mattered. _She_ mattered.

He knew he shouldn't have expected her to go back to normal right away. Even if she had told him she was more or less accepting his apology and was willing to trust him, it was more than reasonable for her to take a few steps back for the moment. He had made a mistake, bruised, if not broken her trust and immediately after had forced her to deal with his feelings. She was overwhelmed. Despite the walls around her soul that kept him from absorbing the overflow, he could tell she was drowning inside and this time, he couldn’t help her. It was impressive how she was apparently keeping it together, and he could only guess this was due to practice over the years, but he still didn’t like it. All he could do was wait, give her the space she needed and hope not to dust from lack of magic in the meantime. 

After preparing the cats’ food, she headed back through the kitchen to the bathroom and closed the door.

He dropped down from his observation spot and he got up on the counter to open the instant coffee container. He used his magic to levitate her favorite mug onto the counter, feeling it waddle in his weaker than usual grasp. He dosed the mix of sugar and coffee then sat down on the counter, waiting. She was taking longer than usual, the popping sound of the electric kettle echoed in the silence of the morning and it took a few more minutes for the noise of the sink in the bathroom to finally break it.

She then made her way back in the kitchen and grabbed the kettle from its base. He watched as she sluggishly moved to the counter to pour in the boiling water. She added a cloud of milk and stirred her morning beverage with a dull look until it turned an even light brown color. Her eyebrow rose when she took her first sip.

“Figured you could use a slightly stronger dose this morning,” he explained when she glanced at him.

“Yeah, thanks Honey Bee,” she mumbled, hiding timidly behind another sip.

She proceeded to grab his yellow cup on the shelf and, mechanically, she closed the instant coffee container, putting it back in its place before grabbing the honey bottle next to it. She squirted a generous dose of the golden liquid in the smaller cup, replacing the bottle in its original spot as she tipped the kettle to fill it with hot water. She used her spoon to stir the sweetened liquid and added a drop of milk to cool the boiling beverage down, then handed him the yellow mug. She leaned in to kiss the top of his skull but froze.

Their eyes locked on to each other for a moment. He looked up at her, waiting half expectantly, half uncertain. He wanted to say something, but they usually kept quiet in the morning and even if he had willed himself to break their routine, he didn’t know what to say.

After what felt like both a second and an hour, she moved away, leaving him to stare down at his cup of Honey Dew while she picked up her own mug and moved to the couch without a word.

Was this it?

Was this their new reality? Their new routine? This silence, this unspoken tension between them?

  
  
  


Maybe it’d be better after her first, if not second, cup of coffee…

  
  
  


***

A few days later, Honey woke to a comfortable warmth surrounding him. He could feel his soul pulsing, soaking it up. The energy felt a little off, like the way food tasted when it was approaching its expiration date, but he brushed it off, nuzzling into the warm, soft hand that cradled his skull, the thumb blindly caressing his cheekbone. Maybe he was dreaming. It had felt like an eternity since she had touched him and each stroke was so gentle, so careful. It had to be a dream. If so, he didn't even want to open his sockets. But what if she was looking at him, with those beautiful eyes of hers, staring lovingly at him while he slept in her arms. Oooh he really wanted to see it now. Maybe it was worth the risk…

He opened one socket, slowly, praying for the contact to be real. When he looked up, there she was, all curled up against him, her arm draped over his form so she could hold him close. Her touch against his bones was so soft and she continued to stroke her thumb against his cheekbone as her steady breath brushed against him. He smiled to himself. 

She was asleep.

He could tell by the way her chest expanded slowly, and he was so close to her face, he could actually see her rapid eye movements from under her eyelids. She also had that slight frown forming a soft line between her brows that told him she was dreaming. It was both adorable and sad that she had been completely unconscious while petting him. 

She let out a small whine and he quickly screwed his sockets shut, pretending to be asleep. The fingers frozen on his face.

"...oh.. ff… stars, what am I doing…"

The warmth was taken away, the bed shifted beside him and he waited another 30 seconds before peeking to see what she was doing. Sadly, she had turned her back on him, curling up on who he assumed was Tyrant on the other side if the loud purring was anything to go by. He suddenly felt cold and very lonely. 

But... this was a good sign… right?

  
  


***

Honey stared alarmingly at the spoons on the counter.

The _two_ spoons.

After he had awakened with in his Queen’s embrace, he had hoped they were making progress but then, when she went to stir his drink with the spoon she had used for her coffee, she had stopped, movement halted toward the utensil between her lips, a cogitating frown marking her forehead; He didn’t remember her mind ever being able to work so hard so early in the morning. After reaching some kind of conclusion, she had kept the spoon in her mouth and had taken out a new one to stir the honey in his mug.

A second spoon…

That she would have to wash later!

He was left dumbfounded, sitting on the counter as she made her way to the couch, the little yellow mug tilted in his loose grip. He could hear the tapping of her fingers on her phone only interrupted by the soft chime of an incoming message. Who was she texting so early in the morning? 

With one last look as the warm liquid in his lap, he took a deep breath, willing himself to not think too hard on it. Without getting up, he scooted over on the counter, letting his legs dangle on the living room side of the counter. Jumping down was too risky with his drink in hand, and he still wanted to save the shortcuts as much as possible. His new position gave him a good vantage point to watch her type away on her phone, her coffee precariously balanced on her plump thigh, the morning light filtering through the curtains hitting her left side just right to make it look like she glowed. She always looked so pretty in the morning, so natural…

She looked up at him and he averted his sockets, having been caught staring. Her eyes shifted back to her phone and the awkward silence stretched for a few more minutes. This was stupid. How long are they going to keep dancing around each other like this? He had to take the first step.

He took a long sip, mentally preparing himself before speaking, “So…” Her eyes bounced up towards him, as if he had yelled in the quiet of the morning. “Got any plans for today?” he asked.

There was another soft chim from her phone and she skimmed the screen before replying, “I’m actually going to go see V tonight. She just texted me the ok,” she added, motioning her phone. Oh, so she was talking to the bird monster. Strangely, it kind of comforted him. Vivi may always tease him, but deep down, he knew she was a good person, and more importantly, someone she could rely on.

“Oh, I see.” he said, desperate to grab the strings of an actual conversation. “Want me to grab some games for us to bring over?”

“No that’s ok, I’ll head over directly after work. I’ll probably be back late.”

“Oh, ok,” was all he could say.

“I’m going to prepare something for you to heat up tonight, is that alright?”

Honey looked down at his lukewarm drink. “Ok.”

“Or do you prefer ordering something? I can phone for you from work and leave you some money.”

“Ok.”

“Honey, that’s not an answer,” she reprimanded, her lips curling upward as she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, and Honey suddenly felt like they were back to their usual selves. Her shoulders had even relaxed a bit.

“Yeah no it’s fine,” he finally answered, leaning back on one hand. He raised his mug, motioning to her as he spoke. “You don’t need this bag of bones sticking around. You go have some well deserved girl time together. Eating your cooking would definitely be better than ordering though.” Maybe eating something she made would make up for her absence.

“Alright,” she replied, getting up. He followed her form as she moved back in the kitchen to prepare some lunch for him. A sandwich for lunch, and something simple he could heat up later in the day. She then proceeded back to her room to get ready for the day.

Honey stayed on the counter, his mind reeling. He wasn’t mad or even offended by her planning an evening without him. He knew she needed the space and if anything, Vivi could probably help in more ways than he ever could. The fact she had someone she could maybe confide in was a relief to him but… his soul still felt cold. Why had she shrunk away after waking up cuddling up to him? She knew he wouldn’t mind. It had been so warm and then, she had basically given him the cold shoulder. Yet, she was still making him food, and taking care of him. It was like standing in an unstable shower, the water alternating between scorching hot and freezing cold. Frankly, it was exhausting, and he didn’t have enough magic in him this morning to deal with the constant whiplash. It was probably best to go with the flow, follow her rhythm. 

“Honey?”

The voice calling him startled him out of his thoughts. He looked up to find his human, fully dressed, purse and keys in hand and ready to set out standing in front of him. She looked at him, slightly concerned. How long had he been lost in thoughts?

“You good?” she asked, her fingers twitching on the strap of her purse.

Honey slapped a casual smile on his face before replying, “Yup, all good. Have a good day my Queen.”

She smiled back at him, apparently relieved a little bit. Her body moved toward him, leaning down to kiss the top of his skull, but again, she stopped herself. After a second of hesitation, she cradled the side of his face with her right hand, looking almost apologetic. Honey blinked in surprise at the contact, but managed to resist nuzzling into the touch.

“Say hi to the bird brain for me.”

“Will do.” Her thumb stroked his cheek bone gently. “Have a good day Honey Bee.”

Too soon, her hand had abandoned him and she was out, locking the door behind her. Silence fell onto the apartment like a heavy curtain.

Honey slouched on the counter, the remainder of his cold morning drink forgotten next to him; He was already so tired. He looked over the counter to the living room where her huddle form had sat, strangely reminiscing of that time, that month where she was so lost in her own head. When thoughts had invaded her mind, sending her in eternal spirals of bad memories. 

Had he become one of those bad memories?

His sockets moved away from the spot, falling on the cupboard the bitty snacks were stashed in. Maybe he could have one or two, just to boost his magic a bit, then sleep the rest of the day. With a little luck, it would be enough so that when she would come home, he would have enough energy to talk with her like nothing was wrong.

Yeah.. that was a good plan.

  
  
  


****

  
  


Over the next few days, Honey had developed some bad habits. 

Even though his human prepared some good meals for him to eat during the day, Honey barely touched them. After one or two bites, he would feel his magic chur inside his chest and he vaguely wondered if this was what humans felt when they had an upset stomach. He wasn’t feeling sick per say, but he could tell something was wrong. His energy level was still low, but he didn’t have that much of an appetite – his mind was far too full.

Instead, because he knew how fragile his constitution was, he’d grab a few bitty snacks to keep his magic up. Already, he had gone through the entire bone jellies. He couldn’t even remember tasting them properly. He had just mindlessly gone through the packs as he laid on the couch, Prince’s warm fur curled around him. The feline’s heat was welcome as he started to feel cold during the day. Maybe it was normal though, fall was upon them after all. 

He could tell the cats were also destabilized by the disturbance to their usual routine. Their human would often come back late from work, and that was when she didn’t simply go to Vivi’s to spend the evening, apparently to help plan a trip the bird monster and her husband were going on soon. She did always make sure to text Honey where she was and to remind him he had food in the fridge ready for him while she was away.

As much as he could get behind their confusions however, Honey couldn’t help envy the two cats. For every grazing touch he got for their human, each of the felines would get double the cuddles. They would both get to sleep with her or nestle into her side or her shoulder when she turned on the television to watch a late night movie while he sat at a respectful distance on the couch. Honey eventually figured it would be fine to lean against Prince, using him as a buffer so he could still be close to her without directly touching, but having to consciously refrain from falling into his old habit of cuddling up to her was exhausting. In those few days, he had become painfully aware of how much he usually touched her and each time he forced himself to pull away, he felt his soul ache, even if it was to respect her boundaries. He kind of preferred it that way though; He could deal with forcing himself away, but the last thing he wanted was for her to tell him off.

He didn’t think his soul could handle those words coming out of her mouth.

So he’d settle for second best, cuddling up to the furry Prince, searching for the remains of her scent and warmth.

  
  


***

  
  


There was this saying he had heard from a center employee back in the days: 

_Same shit, different day._

He only now understood what they had meant. How some things seemed to, without really getting worse, remain heavily unpleasant for a while despite one’s optimism.

He missed her. Not just the contact of her lips on his bones and her soft touch, but also just… her.

He missed the times he had taken for granted when he could touch her, when they’d joke and play around. The times she’d wear her short shorts around the place without a care in the world. Heck, he even missed the old days, when she had first brought him home from the center.

Back then, she was still unsure how to act toward him. A friend? A guest? A roommate? To her own admittance, she had been very nervous to welcome someone new in her home. Bitties were considered by some like pets, but she couldn’t deny it was too different to have him around compared to having, let's say, a new cat. He was not only sentient, he was smart, and had shown emotions and the ability to voice them. She had felt not so much as her adopting a companion as much as it was him deciding if she was worthy of having him in her life. She had nervously given him a tour of the apartment, expecting him to comment on how small it was, or judge her for the dirty dishes on the counter. It took her over 2 months to start wearing anything that went above the knees or shorter than elbow length around him.

During that time, she had constantly asked if there was anything he was missing, anything she was doing wrong, as if he himself had any idea what it was to be adopted. He was just as new at this as she was, but because of who she was, she kept looking for his approval. It had taken patience and perseverance to get her to loosen up and drop the perfect girl act. He still remembered that day when she first swore in front of him after dropping an entire pot of freshly made spaghetti sauce. She had slapped her hand on her mouth in horror while he laughed. 

Slowly but surely, he had gotten to discover the real her, the lazy one, the girly one, the one who cried over body lotions commercials, the geeky one that got passionate over what she loved, the creative one that drew and liked to imagine distant lands and adventures, the silly one who liked puns and bad jokes, the loving and caring one that embraced him on rainy days…

He missed her... all of her...

He missed how open minded she was about a variety of subjects, how she was always willing to see the best in people, give them chances and try her best to understand them… Even if she couldn’t apply the same to herself.

Honey huffed out a breath, popping another candy in his mouth, feeling it disappear without tasting it.

After all the time they spent together, the connection they had formed, the perfect team they made, why was it so hard for her to accept wanting more? She was going out of her way to keep herself from feeling things she perceived as unconventional. It was ok for everyone, but not herself. She had seen that lady with her four bitties and the way they acted. It was obvious they had something special and she had looked upon them with comprehension and delight at their unique family dynamic. Not that he thought she’d want to hop on the poly train but, they have found what worked for them, why couldn't she accept what worked for her?

His phalanges twitched on the hard honey lemon candy, almost making it slip out of his grasp. She did want it, right?

Were all those times they cuddled together, those touches, those kisses… were they all him?

The slipped the tasteless candy behind his teeth and rolled over on the couch, hoping another nap would help him ease his mind.

  
  


***

  
  


Why was she on her phone so much?

Like, he was used to them watching videos on it while they laid in bed; he always found it adorable when she’d fall asleep 10 minutes after the movie started, but she wasn’t watching anything. She was just reading… or typing. And it didn’t look like a conversation either, well not all the time.

She also always made sure to lock her phone when she left it behind. Not that Honey didn’t know the password to unlock it so it felt a little weird for her to act so secretive. 

He watched her from his slouched position on the couch, her eyes dancing on the screen, reading some mysterious article or whatnot. He vaguely wondered if she was reading about bitties. Maybe how to deal with overly attached companions... or perhaps about the process to return a bitty to the center.

That last thought should have unsettled him, but the good thing about being so low on magic was that he was too lethargic to care. So what, if she didn’t want him around anymore, and so what if he had ruined everything. At least she had gotten him used to living without her touch, that would make the transition back to the center easier. Not like they were soul bonded or anything, he’d survive… maybe.

Anyway, why was she on her phone so much..?

And why was she swiping left all the time? or was he imagining it?

  
  


Suddenly, there was a wet garbling noise coming from the kitchen. Honey and his Queen both jerked to attention, but she was quicker.

“Prince!” she shouted as she threw her phone on the couch, jumping off to run to the vomiting cat.

The older cat had been doing that more often these days, probably out of stress grooming. He heard her say calming words as the retching sound climaxed into a splatter. Ew…

He sighed and slouched back onto the armrest, listening with slight disgust as his human gagged while she cleaned the mess. His sockets fell onto the abandoned phone next to him and his eyelights went dark.

The screen showed a incomplete profile mounted by a picture of her he didn’t know. Something about the background seemed familiar and it took him a few seconds to realize this was taken at Vivi’s. His human was smiling shyly, the positioning and the angle were used to her advantage. It showed cleavage yet remained modest, hinted at her curves without putting too much accent on it and her beautiful face was highlighted by a ray of light coming from off screen. Below the perfect picture was her age and an incomplete paragraph where he barely had the time to read a few words that described her before he heard her walking back toward the living room. He basically threw himself to his side, facing the back of the couch as if he had been curling up for a nap.

When he felt her sitting down, he side-glanced at her, trying to look as casual as possible. She huddled back in the side on her couch, cradling Prince like a baby, whispering soft reassuring words to him. She always did this, making sure never to chastise the felines for something she considered they had no control over. He watched her silently as she cooed and stroked the striped fur until Prince settled in her lap. Damn that cat… He knew he didn’t do it on purpose, but stars did he want to switch places with him right now.

She picked up her phone and glanced at him before sinking back into the couch to continue typing. He curled up some more, closing his sockets tightly. He could feel sweat starting to form on his skull and his magic painfully stirring inside his soul.

“Are you okay Honey?”

When he looked up, she was peering at him from over her phone, a worried crease between her brows.

“You’re not going to be sick too, are you?”

Was he? “Don’t know that I could,” he joked, wiping his skull with his sleeve. 

“You just look… I don’t know, a little pale?”

He forced a smirk on his face, “Nah, you worry _hue_ much my Queen. Just _chalk_ it up to me being a little more tired than usual.” He complimented his last pun with a tired chuckle.

She gave him a reprimanding look. “Honey…” but he waved his hand lazily at her.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna _c-lay_ here and take a nap.”

“Honey, stop” she said again, the start of a half exasperated, half amused pout plucking her lips, her soft, plump lips…

“Can’t, I’m _pun_ stoppable,” he added and was rewarded by her sweet laugh. 

She put away her phone, motioning Prince to get off her so she could sit closer to her bitty. He uncurled a bit, watching her move closer and gently stroke his skull, her fingers tracing his cheekbone, wiping away more of the sweat that was forming on it. She seemed to focus, probably trying to see if he had a fever of something. Her touch was so gentle, as if she was afraid to break him and he couldn’t help bring his hand up to touch hers. He felt her twitch under his phalanges, but she didn’t pull away. She simply gazed into his sockets with a tenderness he hadn’t seen in what felt like an eternity. Her hand felt so warm under his and he had to fight himself not to reach out. He felt the low rumble of a purr coming over him, but before he could let it out, her lips parted…

“I’m sorry Honey.”

He closed his eyes, smiling despite the sudden bitter taste filling his mouth. What was she sorry for anyway? It was fine. But... If they could just stay like this for a little longer, she didn’t have to say anything. If she could just offer him her touch, her warmth, her smiles, he’d be fine. He didn’t need her to love him back, he didn’t need anymore than what they had in the past. If he could let go of his want for more, they could have _this_ again. He needed to let it go. He told himself to unwrap the strings that had tightened around his soul. He could have her back if he just did…

But he couldn’t.

Honey felt his soul grow cold and sink inside him, a heavy blanket of despair wrapping around each of his bones and his vision grew dark and blurry. He felt himself drift into slumber, rocked by the continued movement of her thumb on his cheekbone.

So tired…

  
  


He just needed to sleep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pun defense mechanism activated....
> 
> It's hard to try and get over someone when you live with them! Even worse when they can't seem to make up their own mind!
> 
> Hang in there Honey! T.T
> 
> ****
> 
> Also, don't forget to comment which type of narrative you would prefer Queen Bee's POV to be:
> 
> first person : "... I walked into the field."  
> second person : "... you walked into the field."  
> third person : "... she walked into the field."


	19. My Sick Honey Bee ~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey Bee is having a bad time...  
> When you hit rock bottom, the only way is up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Here is the second part of Honey's 'Falling episode'.  
> Last time, I focused a lot on Honey Bee's downward spiral, the second part was a little different, but the chapter was overall too long and had to be cut.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

My Sick Honey Bee

  
  


_Honey pressed against the tall glass in front of him. When he looked up, he couldn’t see the ceiling, the glass wall disappearing into the shadows on top of him. same when he looked to each side. The glass was infinite. Regardless, he still walked alongside it, keeping his hand on the glass, feeling its smooth surface, only stopping when the tip of his phalanges felt the crack. He inspected the glass closer. There was a long hairline crack and when he looked, there was a pink liquid leaking from it. Without a second thought, Honey licked the crack, drinking the drops of magic like he had been lost in a desert. It tasted bitter, confused, but he kept licking the glass, hoping to draw out more nonetheless._

_When the trickling magic dried out, he looked up at the glass, looking for another crack. He froze as he noticed there was someone on the other side. She was looking at him, worried. Not worried as in worried for his health, but worried by what she had seen him doing. He opened his mouth to try and explain, but before he could say a word, two hands snaked their way across her hips from behind, fingers crooked and harsh against her soft skin as they went up her shirt._

_Honey yelled, banging on the glass to warn her, but she had fallen limb on the other’s grasp, her head lolling back against their shoulder in complete submission. He growled at the intruder, ordering them to let her go but they only smirked at him, their sharp and menacing teeth gracing her exposed neck. He watched helplessly as the hands moved up her shirt until they reached her chest and blood started pouring from under their fingers, leaking down her stomach to splatter on the ground. With what was left of her consciousness, she lifted a hand toward him, imploring._

_“Honey…”_

  
  


****

“ _Honey, wake up!_ ”

  
  


The bitty startled awake, covered in sweat, wheezing painfully as he tried to gain back control of his breathing. The dark room was tainted by a blood orange light and it took him a few seconds to realize the light was coming from his flaring sockets. The shadows moved as he looked around, his gaze falling on his human, kneeling next to him in bed, hands raised like she hand just let go of him. Her eyes were wide, startled and he was reminded of that night where she hovered over him in a similar way as she watched him writhe before her.

A sharp pull at his soul made the room tilt sideways and he held his skull, feeling queasy. He closed his sockets, hand finding the side of his skull in a vain attempt to steady his mind.

  
  


“Honey, what happened? You were talking in your sleep. Were you having a bad dream?”

The last images of his nightmare resurfaced and he winced. Somehow, ‘bad dream’ didn’t seem appropriate for the visions his troubled mind had gifted him. 

  
  


“Yeah, you could say that,” he mumbled, dropping back onto the pillow. It was slightly wet from sweat and perhaps tears. He wiped his sockets for good measure.

“Do you want me to guide you back to sleep?”

  
  


He looked up at her. She had sat back on her heels, fingers fidgeting together in her lap like she was afraid of what they might do if left unoccupied but her eyes were focused on him, worried.

  
  


“Nah, it’ll be fine,” he assured her, waving his hand noncommittally. 

“Honey, you’re worrying me.”

“It was just a dream.” He couldn't stand to look at her so he glanced at the clock across the room. "Just rattled my bones a bit."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

  
  


He flinched as she got up, walked to the light switch and flicked it upward. Reflexively, held his hands in front of his sockets. He waited a few seconds before lowering them. She stood by the door, arms crossed, her disheveled hair and baggy eyes betraying her restlessness.

  
  


“You haven’t been eating.”

“Untrue,” he protested tiredly. “I’ve been eating plenty of monster candy.” 

“Yeah, I noticed. Did you even taste those Jelly Bones?”

“Sure I did.”

She glared at him, unconvinced. “What flavor were they?”

Honey opened one socket to look at her. “Trick question,” he replied, pointing a finger gun at her, “It was a mixed pack.”

“Indeed, so tell me which of the flavors in the pack you liked most.”

  
  


The bitty opened his mouth to answer, but closed it. He couldn’t tell. He didn’t remember tasting any of them, having just consumed them thoughtlessly. He vaguely remembered some orange and blue ones, but he couldn’t say if they had been orange and blueberry flavored, or honey and blue raspberry. Would the red ones be strawberry, or cherry?

  
  


“You also don’t eat the food I leave for you during the day,” she continued when he didn’t answer. “I even found some of it in the trash.”

  
  


Honey dragged a hand across his face. He had known trashing the food was a bad idea. It wasn’t like he was the one taking them out in the end. Maybe he should have flushed it? Less likely to leave evidence… unless he accidentally clogged the plumbing. Fact was, she had noticed. 

  
  


His mind felt cloudy. Despite the nightmare he just had, he just wanted to go back to sleep. A quick glance at the clock confirmed they still had a little over an hour before her regular wake up time. “Can’t we talk about this another time? You got work today, you should get back to sleep.”

  
  


She hugged her arms, not moving from her spot near the light switch. A wave of guilt crossed her features and she looked to the ground.

  
  


“Are you… getting sick because of me?”

  
  


Honey didn’t reply. He didn’t want to. Yes, she had curtained her soul, and yes the little amount of touch and contact she gave him weren’t enough, but he knew he was partially to blame too. He had been so focused on giving her space, he had consciously refrained himself from absorbing her energy. As much as he loved when she touched him, he was always afraid to read too much into it. He wanted to cling to her so much, keep her close, drink her in but he felt like if he had a taste at this point, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

  
  


“I’m not sick…”

“Well you’re about to be.”

  
  


She walked back to the bed and sat on it so hard he almost bounced. She stretched out to grab her phone by her pillow and swiped the passcode to unlock without giving him a second glance. After tapping a few times, she started reading out loud.

  
  


“A balanced diet with a minimum of 60% magical based food is recommended for the care of any magical creature. The percentage can be raised up to 100% for monsters such as elementals, ghosts or heavy magic dependent monsters,” she side glanced at him, “Which you are, by the way.” 

  
  


He didn’t actually need 100% magical food. His magic helped absorb human food, turning it to nutriment when it-

  
  


“In the case of bitties,” she continued, interrupting his reflection, “since they heavily rely on magical transfer from their caretaker through their bitty link, the ratio of magical food can be kept to a minimum, given they are provided with a steady supply from their caretaker." She paused, looking directly at him. "I know I'm having a hard time with the bitty link..."

"That's ok," he lied, looking away from her prying eyes. "I’m managing just fine."

“... Which is why I made sure to use extra magical food in the lunches I leave you,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “You would have known that if you had eaten any of them.”

“Oh…” Well now he just felt stupid. 

“Which also brings me to the next paragraph,” she continued, looking back at her phone. “Note bitty snacks, although they can complement a healthy diet in low quantity, do not represent a sufficient form of food and should not be relied on to raise a monster’s magic level.”

“It’s magic food, it should be fine.”

“They don’t rely on snacks for bitties at centers. The pellets are crafted with different kinds of magics, like healing magic and healthy intend and probably even more kinds. Candies are not. If you eat too much, you’ll get sick, that same way a human will if they eat too much sugar.”

  
  


Honey stared at her, dumbfounded. He had never really put much thoughts on what they were fed back in the centers, and obviously it made sense. He never had any problem with his magic levels, despite not being linked to anyone. He should have known all this.

  
  


“I’m impressed,” he admitted. “And here I thought you were spending all this time chatting with the bird brain.”

“Vivi left for her vacation 4 days ago. She told me she won’t have access to a network until they reach the mountain where she can connect to the undernet.”

“I see…” Honey mumbled. The darn monster had still made sure to help his human get a pretty picture for her dating profile before she left.

“Honey.”

“Yeah?” he answered mechanically without looking up.

“Maybe we should have you checked?” she said hesitantly. He could see from the corner of his sockets her fingers clasped together. “I can take a day off from work, and we can go to the center... together.” 

  
  


He lifted himself up on his elbow to look at her with a raised brow bone.

  
  


“The bitty center… really?” 

  
  


He could not conceive she wanted to go back there after… well after what she had told them. Heck, he himself didn’t think he could show his face at the center again knowing they had heard about his… heat. Maybe one day, they could look back on the misunderstanding and laugh but... it was too soon.

She seemed to be thinking about the same thing as a pink blush started creeping around her ears toward her cheeks. She bit her lips, looking away.

  
  


“I-If t-that’s what it t-takes!”

  
  


Yeah no, there was no way he was going to do that to her.

  
  


“Thanks, but no thanks,” he said, turning to his side away from her. He grabbed the sheet, pulling it high to cover his already warm shoulders. “I just need to sleep a bit and I’ll be fine.”

“Honey…” she started to plead.

“I’m fine I tell you!” He snapped, pulling the sheet above his skull. “Now go back to sleep, you got work in a few hours.”

  
  


Reluctantly, she got off the bed and turned off the light. She then walked all the way around the bed to slip under the covers on her side, which happened to be the way he was facing. He felt the bed dip next to him and waited. 

  
  


“Honey,” came her soft voice in the dark. It was close, so close he could feel her breath through the sheet still covering his skull.

  
  


He peeked out, lowering the cover just below his sockets. She had mimicked his position, tucked in with only the top of her face poking out to look down at him. He hummed tiredly to let her know he was listening.

He felt her fingers slither their way to brush against his phalanges, blindly searching to slip in his grasp. When she spoke, it was barely above a murmur, her tone mixed with both guilt and pleading. 

  
  


“Promise me you’ll eat your lunch today?”

  
  


He closed his first around her fingers and gave them a weak squeeze.

  
  


“Sure…” he vaguely agreed before slipping into the darkness of sleep.

  
  


***

  
  


His feet dragged in the darkness, his step silenced like he was walking on a thick carpet. He tried to blink, to get used to the lack of light but he might as well have closed his sockets, it would have made no difference. Strangely, this darkness wasn’t scary, if anything, it was almost appeasing, the same way the obscurity is a welcomed friend when one is plagued with a migraine. He wouldn’t go as far as saying he liked it here, but he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to be worried about why and where he was. He was tempted to just lay down and sleep, but something was moving him forward, an indescribable urge to go somewhere, to find something… someone.

As if it had reacted to his thought, a small glimmer of light caught his attention. It was small, far away, flickering weakly while it battled the surrounding void. Reflexively, he started to head toward it. As he approached, he realized how cold he had been and the closer he got, the more he could feel a light warmth coming from it. He started walking faster, almost running despite the heaviness pulling at his legs. He reached out to it, the whiteness of his bones appeared partially shining in comparison to their surrounding. Finally, he was just a few steps away when..

  
  


Honey was stopped in his track by an invisible wall with a loud clatter of bones. The impact pushed him back, making him fall backward and for a second, he lost sight of the blimp of light. Given it was the only thing around, he quickly found it again and reached a careful hand toward it. Gently, his phalanges touched the cold surface of what he could now see was a glass wall and he shivered.

He’s been here before…

Honey pressed against the tall glass in front of him. When he looked up, he couldn’t see the ceiling, the glass wall disappearing into the shadows on top of him. same when he looked to each side. The glass was infinite. 

A sudden movement in front of him caught his attention and he gasped, seeing his Queen where the light had been. He froze as he noticed two hands snaked their way across her hips from behind, fingers crooked and harsh against her soft skin as they went up her shirt.

No! not again!

Honey yelled, banging on the glass to warn her. She lifted a hand toward him, imploring. He growled. He didn’t want to see this again! He didn’t want to have this nightmare again!

A nightmare…

_“So here’s the trick. You have to turn the dream around and take it somewhere fun.”_

The memory of her calming words floated into his mind like a sweet perfume. His fist closed against the glass and he forced himself to take in a deep breath. Take it somewhere fun… take control of the dream.

First things first... that wall had to go.

His sockets flared up as he materialized a bone in his hand. It was taller then he was and the end was heavy and blunt, perfect to shatter any unwanted barrier. He took a step back and slammed the massive attack forward with all of his might. 

Nothing would stand in his way!

The wall shattered and a strong wind blew from behind him, propelling him forward as it pushed the shadowy figure off his human. In a single motion, he dispelled his attack and grabbed her extended hand, pulling her toward him and with the logic common to dreams, he wrapped his arms around her, gathering her to his chest as they spun in the wind. They continued to twirl like two dancers in a tornado, her body warm against his, his face buried in her sweet floral scented hair. As the wind died down, flowers started blooming around them. They rapidly stood in the middle of a flowery field under a perfect blue sky. In the distance, Honey noticed a few giant trees stretching above them where birds were singing. His vision was filled with colors all around them: Purple flowers with starry-shaped petals and bright yellow centers, delicate white flowers turning magenta at their core and sweet smelling patches of yellow flower, tightly-packed, rising above clusters of ferny foliage and the sweet green of the grass tickling his legs. A light pressure on his sternum brought his attention in front of him. 

Nested comfortably in his arms, his Queen gazed up at him, her eyes soft with affection, her hands resting on his chest above his pulsing soul. She fitted so beautifully in his embrace, like she was meant to be there since the beginning of time. His sockets lidded as he took in the fertile shades of her eyes, his soul filling with relief that they had left that previous dark place. She was safe now, and so was he.

He plucked a flower from his right, a red chrysanthemum that he tucked in her hair. She smiled up at him, a pink blush spreading to her cheek at the gentle gesture. She timidly looked to the side, peering at him from below her lashes and he couldn’t help but return her smile. The flower in her hair seemed to glow under a ray of sunlight, the gentle breeze around them carrying in a soft melody. Soon, it was as if the birds, the wind and the flowers around them were echoing a song. They started to sway with the music, slowly at first, but as they gazed at each other and gained confidence, he made her twirl, petals flying around them in rhythm with their movements. When he pulled her back close, she wrapped her arms around his cervicals and his hands roamed down to her waist, resting on her round hips like they were craved for his hands.

Gently, she cradled his face, her thumbs stroking his cheekbones, her eyes searching his for something he couldn’t find the words for. He mimicked her hands, his phalanges tilting her head up for their face to meet. He kissed her softly, his teeth only grazing her soft lips at first. He didn’t have the time to pull away, she was pressing another one to his teeth, her lips wet and delicious massaging his smile as he slipped his phalanges into her hair, holding her close and kissing her back. They held each other tenderly, kissing and dancing to the melody of nature around them.

***

When Honey came to, he was feeling warm. There was a pressure against his skull and he moaned, trying to grasp at the remaining images his dream had left him. They were fading so quickly and he tried to remember the flowery scent of the field he had been in a moment ago. Was it a field? or a valley perhaps? Damn, he already couldn’t recall. His fingers twitched, holding the last of the sensation of the form in his embrace. The kisses had been so sweet, could he at least remember those, please?

Strangely, the warmth in his arms didn’t disappear like the rest of his dream and the logical part of his brain soon wondered what he was holding. His eyelights focused in front of him to find pinkish fingers trapped in his arms, the tip of the fingers held close to his face. Without haste, he followed the arm linked to the hand and was met with the rest of his human. She was kneeling next to the bed, head propped on her forearm while her right hand had been surrendered to the bitty to hug. Her eyes were wet, but she looked relieved as she watched him wake.

“There you are,” she whispered softly, “Good morning, lazybone.”

Honey blinked slowly at her. His mind was trying to analyze where he was and when, but he could feel his magic whine with every effort. It was so low. Hadn’t he eaten a few candies before going to bed last night? He blinked again before speaking.

“Good morning my Queen.” His eyes took her in. She was fully dressed for work. He hadn’t even heard her alarm, or felt her get up. He must have been a lot more tired than he thought. Good thing he had woken up before she had left. He suddenly realized he was still holding her fingers and he promptly let them go, “oh... sorry.”

“Were you dreaming?” she asked, not seeming fazed at all.

He was, and though he couldn’t remember the details, he had a feeling he hadn’t wanted to wake up. He sat up and nodded slowly, rubbing his socket. “Yeah, I think.”

She retrieved her hand and looked at her fingers for a moment. To his surprise, he noted they were slightly wet. 

“Was I…” he started, feeling the embarrassment rising in him.

“Yeah, you were kissing my fingers in your sleep,” she confirmed with a smirk. “It was kind of cute to be honest.” She loosely wiped her fingers on her shirt then crossed her arms on the bed to rest her head on them, keeping her face close to him. At least she didn’t seem mad but, the thought of him, unconsciously making out with her fingers, he-

Honey felt a sudden dizziness overcome him. The magic rushing to his face quickly faded and his body tilted to the side before he could catch himself. Luckily for him, his human was quick.

“Careful now, sweetie. It’s ok, I got you.”

The dizzy spell passed and he let himself fall back onto the pillow. He closed his sockets and took a deep breath before opening them again.

“I’m ok. I’ll get up in a minute.” After a second, he remembered his promise he had made earlier. “And I’ll eat lunch, like I said.”

“Honey…” she started, worry crawling back in her eyes.

“Go on, you can't be late for work on my account.”

“I wasn’t,” she said flatly. “It’s 12:30 in the afternoon.”

Huh? 

He stared at her, confused, trying to piece together what she meant. She raised an eyebrow at him, as if asking if he was serious. She let out a huff and explained, “I got up this morning and you were still asleep so I figured I'd let you sleep in and wake up at your own pace since you had a nightmare and needed the sleep.” She pointed to a spot next to him. He followed her finger and found a sticker note on the pillow next to him. The note read: _Rest well, text me when you get up._

Well… that was awkward.

“I waited for your text. Then around 9:30, I tried texting you, but you didn’t answer. I started getting worried, so I came back during my lunch time and found you here, still asleep. I was about to call the center when you started mumbling in your sleep.”

What had he said? He could feel another rush of heat rising to his skull, but it only made his head spin more. He held the side of his head, mumbling an apology for worrying her. He couldn’t believe he had slept through the entire morning. He was all for naps, but this was excessive.

Before he could say anything else, she got back up on her feet and leaned over him. He was confused for a second before he felt her replace the pillow behind him. She pushed it against the headboard and helped him sit in the bed before tucking him back under the covers. She stroked the side of his head gently.

“Stay put, I’m going to go get you some food.”

He nodded slowly, watching her turn around and exit the room to go to the kitchen. Left to himself, he stared down at his limp body. He had no strength left. He tried to lift one of his hands, but with the weight of the sheets, he didn’t even manage to free it. It should have made him worry, but he was strangely calm about this. If he had woken up alone, being unable to move, he would have flipped but… he wasn’t alone.

He could hear her voice talking on the phone while she moved in the kitchen. He couldn’t make up what she was saying, his mind felt too fuzzy to try to anyway. He leaned back, sockets to the ceiling in silent contemplation. Or perhaps empty contemplation was a better word. His mind was blank, unable to hold any thought.

He was brought back to the present by the dip of the bed next to him. 

“Here try some of this,” she offered him a spoonful of what seems to be… soup?

He moved to try and grab the spoon, but she moved it away, confusing him further.

“I can tell you’re weak,” she said with just a smidge of reproach. “Open up.”

So he did, except his socket opened wider than his jaw. The telltale signs of dizziness returned and he loosely opened his mouth, all but gawking at her. Holding a hand under the spoon, she brought it to his face and tipped the spoon toward his parted teeth. The liquid was a soft green and looked way too healthy for its own good, but it didn’t even have time to touch his teeth, it was already dissipating, a soothing sensation running down his spine directly into his soul. The feeling was so sudden, he couldn’t help let out a moan.

“Well that went down easy,” she chuckled, dipping the spoon back in the bowl in her lap.

Again, she offered him the spoon and just as quickly, the food disappeared, spreading healing and nourishing intent all over his soul. She kept slowly feeding him in silence, keeping her eyes fixed on him with what he could only describe as careful attention. She was eyeing the soup vanish from the spoon, watching the color rise to his cheekbones. Why did this feel so good? He should have been embarrassed to be fed like this - well he was - but why did he kind of… like it?

By the time the soup was all gone, he was already feeling better, being able to actually taste the bitter yet sweet flavor of the meal on his newly summoned tongue before it was gone. Just as she was scrapping one last spoonful, there was a knock on the door.

Honey jumped at the sound, but she was quick to put a reassuring hand to his chest, forcing him to lay down against the pillow before getting up to answer the door. From his position, he couldn’t see who was at the door, but he could hear them talking.

“Hey there, got your papers comme tu voulais,” the voice chimed in. It sounded feminine yet had a thick accent he couldn’t place.

“Thanks Xee,” his Queen responded. “Sorry about the trouble.”

“Naah, no biggies, la santé avant tout,” the answer came again, but he couldn’t understand half of what they were saying. “How’s he?”

“Better, I think, but I want to keep an eye on him today, and maybe tomorrow. Can you guys manage without me?”

“Sure, fallait que tu prépares ton meeting anyway, right? Pour le nouveau plan d’exploitation? You’ll get more done if you aren’t worried about him all day.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right. Thanks again.”

“No problem, faut j’y retourne though.”

“Ok.”

“You can call me if you need anything else. Good luck! ”

“Thanks, you too!”

The door closed and he waited, listening to the shuffling of papers in the kitchen, then came the sound of rattling cookwares and he figured she was either putting the rest of the soup back in the fridge or preparing a second serving. The latter was confirmed when she appeared at the door, a new bowl in one hand, the other holding a manila file. A frown formed on his forehead.

“Who was that?” he asked.

She walked calmly around the bed, setting the file on her bedside table and carefully sat back in bed with the bowl. “That was Lexy, a girl from marketing. I asked her to bring me some stuff to work on.”

“You… aren’t going back?” he asked. That’s what he had heard, but part of him could not fully believe it. Why was she staying home? He was ok now. He had enough energy to move about and eat by himself. 

She simply shook her head. “Nope, I’m staying with my bitty today. Making sure he rests and eats like he promised he would. Can’t have you falling back to sleep and running out of magic again. Besides…” She stirred the soup absentmindedly, looking to the side, “It’s my fault you’re in this state. I’m failing you as a caretaker.”

She jumped when he grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t say that! You aren’t failing me, I just…” he paused, unsure of his next words. “I’m just… going through some stuff.”

“As am I, Honey,” she replied sternly. “But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to abandon you like I did.”

“You didn’t really abandon me…” he argued weakly. She had, but it was his fault. “I get you don’t want to trust me anymore.” 

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” she said, letting out a sigh. She lifted the spoon and blew on the hot liquid before presenting it to him again. He opened his jaw and the liquid fell on his tongue, warm and creamy. It tasted like… chicken? Not really. “You know how I get, I worked myself up over things from the past. I had to get it through my thick brain: You are not him.”

Honey swallowed thickly. He remembered what she had told him about that person who had lied and manipulated her for several years before she had managed to escape the toxic grasp he had on her life. To hear her say out loud she did not see him in the same light kind of lifted a weight from his shoulders. 

“I care about you, Honey. You know that, right?” The spoon stirred in the bowl again. When she offered him a new spoonful, it felt like she was offering something else, like an apology, or an olive branch, he wasn’t sure. 

“Yeah, I know,” he said simply. Though, he may have forgotten for a while.

“I don’t want to lose you, you are too important to me.” The spoon stayed a few inches from him and he looked up at her. She was watching him and he could see the gears turning in her mind as she stayed still. He braced himself when the blush returned to her cheeks, betraying her thoughts. “Even if… I can’t have a relationship with you.”

He could have argued she _could_ but _wouldn’t_ however, what they had right this second was too good to ruin over technicalities. She still needed time and the fact he now knew for sure she cared about him was enough for him to accept the rejection. He reached out, taking the spoon from her and gulped down the lukewarm liquid, soothing the sting he felt in his soul, if only a little. 

“It’s okay,” he finally let out after a difficult swallow. “I hadn’t really planned on asking for more in the first place. It sort of just… happened.”

“I suppose it did.”

His fingers tightened around the spoon, his next words like acid of his tongue as he forced them out. “You can probably find better anyway… you know… on dating apps…”

She scoffed, “So you did see it, huh?”

“Yeah,” he let the word drag out as he spoke. “Didn’t mean to, the profile was just opened and I looked before I could realize what it was. Sorry.”

To his surprise, she didn’t seem upset. She shrugged, letting out a humorless chuckle. “Well, there wasn’t much to see anyway and it went out the window pretty quick anyway. It was V’s idea.”

_I knew it, that damn bird brain,_ he thought, sending a mental scowl to the pink monster, wherever she was. But wait, that meant…

“You didn’t post it?” he asked, surprised by his own incredulous tone.

“Are you kidding me? The small talk, the public meeting, I can barely stand to talk to strangers in general, much less try and date them!”

“Exactly!” he shouted, raising both arms to the air. “See, that’s what I thought too!”

“Wait, you don’t think I could date someone?”

“What- No! I mean, yes! I mean-”

Honey babbled incoherently, his words fading into confusion when she started laughing at him. He settled into a comfortable smile, watching her wave her hand apologetically for messing with him. Who wouldn’t want to date such a cute thing? And she probably would, some day, but for now, she was right there with him, caring, sweet and gentle, teasing and playful the way he liked it most. Now if she could just-

“You should rest now,” she interrupted his thoughts to lay him back down next to her. She tucked him back under the covers, and bent down to press her lips on top of his skull. Honey froze at the unexpected contact, sockets wide as he felt the first drops of her feelings pouring over him. A powerful wave of love, affection and care washed over him for the first time in over a week and it made his soul throb happily, so much so in fact, he worried for a second she could hear it and would recoil. But she kept up the contact, her lips only leaving the top of his head after several delicious seconds with a wet sound. He couldn’t help the glow on his cheekbones and he was somewhat satisfied to see the pink hue covering her face. She still smiled at him though, her words barely showing her embarrassment. “Sleep well my little Honey Bee.”

“Yes, My Queen Bee.”

_So wishes do come true after all,_ he thought, keeping himself from thinking about what else he’d like her to do. With a last contented smile, he closed his sockets, snuggling into his pillow, the sweet wave of feeling lolling him into a peaceful rest. 

  
  


***

The soft clattering of the keys paused every few minutes, sometimes accompanied by a groan or a sigh or even a light hum as she thought about how to phrase what she wanted to write. Sockets still closed, he pictures her focused on the screen of her laptop, perhaps with the tip of a pen between her teeth, like it was helping her think. There was the sound of a wrapper being torn - yup, sugar helps too sometimes.

When the tapping of keys didn’t resume, Honey opened one socket to peek at the working woman. She was staring at the screen, like he had imagined. She appeared to be re-reading what she wrote. It was weird seeing her work like this, so seriously. Normally, she would get her focused look when she was drawing, or working on an art project, but she always looked more relaxed than this, letting herself be carried by the music she was listening to or making small talk with him as she scribbled away. However, at this moment it was completely silent and she looked tense.

“What are you working on?” he asked and she flinched in surprise. “Oops, didn’t mean to scare you.”

She let out a breath, “No it’s ok, was just focused on this part…” he hit the save key and turned her face to him, resting her chin on the back of her hand. “Did I wake you?”

Honey stretched with a long yawn in response and shook his head, rubbing the sleep out of his sockets. The answer seemed to satisfy her and she turned back to the screen, her smile fading slightly. “I’m supposed to meet up with the Exploitation and Marketing teams tomorrow to establish procedures regarding the politics on a new line of products we are adding to our inventory.”

Honey blinked. He had very little notions of what she did as a job, but he had always been under the impression it was more of a data entry kind of thing. For her to have to prepare for a meeting like this, it had to be important.

As if sensing his question, she continued, “My supervisor asked me to compile a list of comparative arguments from some of the previous manufacturers so we can negotiate better support from this new one. I have a bad feeling about it.”

“Why so?” he asked, a little impressed by her sudden display of expertise.

“Because that new company is originally a toy manufacturer and it’s now trying its hand at bitty furniture.”

“Huh?”

“Like bedding, bathtubs, dressers, even a few smaller sized appliances,” she explained. “But I’m not sure they are backed by the Bitty Trade Association. I have a feeling they just want to offer a low tier value option on the bitty market, which is not a bad thing per se, but… If it’s going to be crap products, we have to make sure the terms of the agreement with them allows us to stop selling their products if a certain margin of units are returned due to malfunction for example.”

Honey blinked again. “Not sure I got all that…”

She giggled. “Basically, we are willing to give them a chance, but we have to cover our ass. I won’t be doing the actual dealing, I’m just doing a little part of the research so we have arguments against their initial offer.”

“Wow…”

“Are you hungry?” She quickly changed the subject.

He glanced at the clock. It was pretty late and he wasn’t really hungry but…

“Maybe if there is still some of that-” He was cut short by the ringing of her cellphone on her nightstand. She lifted a finger to ask him to hold his thought and grabbed her phone, checking the caller ID.

“It’s the landlord,” she said with a note of confusion. She swiped the screen to answer and brought the phone to her ear. Some quick greeting later, she paused to listen, asking a few questions in between. “When?” Her eyes widened. “Oh err… well what time?” Honey could see the tension building in her shoulders. She was trying her best to remain calm and polite but she was definitely annoyed at something. “No, I understand. It’s a little last minute though, I’m not sure- No, no I’ll figure something out, thanks for letting us know.”

His brow shot up as she hung up, letting her hand fall into her lap, staring forward. He didn’t need to read her soul to see the panic rising in her. He reached out to her, putting a hand on her thigh to snap her out of her train of thought.

“What did they want?” he asked, worried.

She turned to him, a nervous smile on her lips and swallowed loudly.

  
  
  


“We have to empty the apartment… tomorrow morning.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is that what they call a cliffhanger?
> 
> Tell me what you thought about this part!  
> Both Honey and Queen are trying so hard~
> 
> I can't wait to write the next part XD


	20. My Working Honey Bee (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey supports his Queen as best as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos!  
> I'm so excited for the next part, I can hardly concentrate on anything else!
> 
> I hope you enjoy my little twists~

My Working Honey Bee

Prince let out a loud plaintive meow from the confine of his crate, echoed with one from Tyrant in the other crate next to it. Honey eyed the trapped felines from his spot on the counter, fingers clicking against his mug as he tapped them nervously. They were not happy with this development and he hated seeing them, especially the older cat, shift anxiously in the small spaces. 

Taking another sip, he followed the form of his human as she paced the kitchen, trying to list everything they needed. She had had the whole evening to prepare, but she was so stressed by the unusual situation, any mental preparation she had made had gone out the window. It was too much.

She was getting overwhelmed... 

He grinded his teeth together. Should he offer..?

She suddenly came to a stop and he raised a brow bone at her when she turned back to look at him.

“Should I bring a litter box?” she asked him.

“Are they going to stay that long?”

“I don’t know!” she screeched, ruffling her hair before starting to pace again. 

“Do you still have puppy pads? Like the ones you put in the crates?” he suggested, keeping his tone calm. There was no need for him to add to her stress. “If it’s just for a few hours, it should be more than enough right?”

“You’re right!” She clapped her hands together and swiftly passed him to grab the package of blue colored pads in the storage room.

He couldn’t help but let out a sigh, setting his mug next to her half empty one on the counter. 

***

“Exterminators?”

Honey stared at his Queen, sockets wide in confusion.

“Yeah,” she grumbled, texting furiously on her phone. “Apparently someone on the floor below us got an infestation of bed bugs or something and they want to treat the adjacent units as a precaution.” 

“Bed bugs as in… ‘Don’t let the bed bugs bite?’”

“Bed bugs as in, tiny insects that live in the furniture and sucks human and pet blood,” she corrected. “They aren’t as disgusting as cockroaches or anything, but they are resistant to most pesticides and an infestation is no joke...” She threw her phone on the bed with an exasperated sigh. “Shit, Vi isn’t answering. I thought I could drop the cats at her place, maybe she has a hidden spare key somewhere.”

“Can’t they wait before doing our place?”

“I wish, but they only agreed to pay for this one visit. They want to get everyone in one sweep.”

She dragged her hands on her face. Her meeting preparations were forgotten, her laptop closed and the files put away - she had told him she was about done anyway. The landlord had warned her the product used was toxic for animals for at least a few hours. They were going to air her unit as much as possible after they were done, but it would be dangerous for anything living to stay behind. It had been a really short notice, which he could only assume it was because they had taken rapid action after discovering the infestation but... With so few friends living close by and Vivi being away on vacation, she had quickly run out of options on where to safely leave her furry babies while she went to work.

“Why did it have to be tomorrow too?” she whined, hiding her face in the folds of her arms. “Any other day, I would have taken the morning off and found a place to stay for a couple of hours, even if we had to go to the vet or something. But I can’t miss that meeting, they’re counting on me.”

Honey sat up straighter, fingers ticking against his chin as he tried his best to think of something. He glanced at the closed laptop. She had worked so hard on this. She was always willing to help her coworkers out, couldn’t they do the same?

“Can’t you just bring them to work?” Honey thought aloud.

“What?” she peered at him over her arm.

“Yeah, there has to be like a conference room, or an empty office somewhere? You could keep them in there a few hours, no?” 

She paused for a moment, considering the suggestion then grabbed her phone again and dialed a number, getting up to pace in the room while she waited for the call to connect. She froze in place when the voice on the other end greeted her.

“Hey boss, it’s me. I have a situation here and I wanted to ask for a favor.”

***

Honey took another sip of his Honey Dew. As it turns out, her boss had not even hesitated for a second when she had explained her predicament. They had a conference room in their department that wasn’t due to be used that day so the ‘Bring your pet to work day’ plan had been green lit in a matter of minutes. She and the cats would be on a taxi in a few minutes, freeing the apartment for the exterminators to come. 

Even though it was his idea, Honey couldn’t help feeling a little dejected. He wasn’t worried about the product harming him but he was going to spend at least part of the day alone, safe for the time the people would be in to spray the stuff around. He tried to tell himself making sure the people coming in their apartment did their job correctly was the least he could do, but he still didn’t like the idea of being left alone with them.

“Ok, I think I got everything,” she huffed, looking at the bag containing the cat food and bowls. “I just have to grab the papers for the meeting and- Honey, what are you doing?” she paused, staring at him.

“Nothing?” he answered, taking another calming sip.

“Get your hoodie, taxi will be here any minute now,” she urged him, hands on her hips. “Grab your headphones too, you can listen to an audiobook or a movie on my phone if you get bored.”

He blinked at her, confused. “I’m... coming too?”

“Of course you are! I told you, no living being is staying in this apartment while they do this!”

“But I’m not…”

“Did you think I was leaving you here alone?” she said as if the thought was idiotic at best. 

There was a bubble of something rising in his soul. A mix of relief and excitement. He scratched the back of his head, his cheekbones flushing. “I thought because I’m a skeleton... you never said anything about me going so I assumed…”

“Stop assuming and get your stuff!” She cut him off, waving her arms urgently.

He flinched at her pressing tone and quickly scrambled off the counter, trotting over to the bedroom to get his hoodie while she gathered their stuff. 

He couldn’t help feeling giddy somehow.

He was going to work with his Queen!

***

“Sorry about before...”

He side-glanced at his human sitting in the taxi next to him. The cats’ carriers were strapped to the back seat, an additional backpack sitting on the floor in front of them. He had taken place on top of the crates, uncomfortably held by the safety belt. Good thing the journey wasn’t going to be long, because this was not a luxury cruise.

The girl was fidgeting with the strap of her messenger bag, probably listing things she had to take care of today and apparently fretting over her tone earlier. She was radiating nervousness.

“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her again. “ You got everything done in time, you can breathe now.”

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I just didn’t even think you could consider being left alone. Hadn’t crossed my mind.”

“You had other things to worry about. But, hey look,” he motioned the taxi around them. “All is well, we’re on time, and soon, we’ll all be settled and you can concentrate on your meeting.”

She let out a long sigh, leaning back in her seat, closing her eyes to force herself to calm down. _That’s right, breath my Queen_ , he thought as he watched her chest rise with a long intake of air. _Hold 4 seconds…_

“And let it out,” he said out loud as she exhaled. “Good job,” he added with a smile.

She opened one eye to glance at him and smiled back at him. After another breath, she tilted her head to give him his full attention. “How are you feeling this morning?”

He didn’t need to think much about it. “Better,” he said with what he wanted to be a reassuring smile. “Guess you were right with the whole candy thing.” Of course, the fact she had unknowingly lowered the walls around her soul also helped a whole bunch; He had gotten a full load of replenishing energy last night.

She let out another sigh, “Well that’s good.” She eyed him carefully. “But maybe it’s best if you take it easy today too.”

“You seem to forget what bitty you’re talking to,” he replied, folding his arms behind his skull. “I’ll be just fine.”

Before long, they pulled up in a large parking lot. Delivery trucks lined the right side of the property’s fence while a few cars were scattered in the middle and left section, most likely employees’. The building itself was impressive. Not the same way a skyscraper was, but it made up for its plainness with its sheer size; It was a warehouse after all. On the way in, he had spotted half a dozen garage doors on the other side of the building but on this side, four doors opened on the parking. The furthest back had a few neatly dressed people standing around, smoking a few feet from the entrance and he wagered it was the administration offices. A little more to the center was another door, this one clearly identified with a large sign over it reading: ‘Show room, open to the public’. Another door further down to the right claimed a smaller sign for ‘customer pick up’ and the last, in front of which they had stopped, was the employee’s side entrance.

After paying the cab drivers and unloading everything, she swiped a card in an electronic card reader to the right of the door and after hearing a buzz and a clicking sound, she swung it open. She was quickly greeted by a tanned man wearing jeans and a dark shirt with the company logo walking by who offered to help her carry her unusual baggage. She gave him one of the cat carriers, freeing one of her hands so she could arrange the backpack strap on her shoulder. Honey gave him a judging glare from his spot on her shoulder until she introduced him as Leo, one of her coworkers. Honey eased up on the glare when he heard the name: He was the one who had made sure his Queen was okay when she had been inappropriately hugged before. Leo waved to the bitty, a friendly smile on his face.

“Hey there, Honey Bee right? Nice to meet you!” He offered his free hand to shake but Honey only tightened his grasp in her hair, nodding his head in response instead. The man didn’t seem offended and pocketed his hand, redirecting his attention to the carrier he was holding. “And who do we have here?”

“This is Tyrant,” she motioned the calico cat growling anxiously from the depth of her crate, “and this is Prince,” she jerked her head toward the carrier in her left hand. She then started walking, lining the wall of the warehouse as she continued speaking. “Do you know where Mart is? He told me I cou-”

The rest of her words were lost to him, his sockets widening at the sight of the inside of the warehouse. It looked even bigger from the inside! It was so high, he could barely make out the raw structure of the ceiling, like a giant maze of branching metal beams, aluminum air conducts and hanging railings only partially hidden beyond the industrial lights. Dozens of rows of huge boxes were creating a strange landscape as far as he could see and he vaguely wondered if it was safe to have them piled up so high. That was the echo of honking as chariot lifts sped away to carry new arriving merchandise from the loading docks. He had expected a warehouse to be like an extra big grocery store, but this was blowing his mind. Everywhere he looked, there was something moving: trucks coming in or out, people checking the boxes, lifts driving to and from the isles of inventory, technicians inspecting some electrical boards on some appliances, drivers checking their own shipping list before going back on the road. The air was filled with diffused noise from clanking metal, to motor purrs, to beeping and echoes of people calling out to each other. It was like watching a mini civilization at work, and he would have loved to continue watching but all too soon, they slipped through one of the doors to the right and the door closed on the noisy warehouse to be replaced by the busy sound of telephones ringing and people speaking. 

The new area was another world compared to the actual warehouse. A series of cubicles filled the room while some bigger offices lined the walls. To the far left, there was a glass door that showed a large corridor seemingly leading to another room. Posters hung on the walls varying from motivational to marketing material. As they walked by, the few people that were already in at this time turned their head toward them, some with a polite greeting, others with a questioning look. It took a few minutes, but they finally reached what he assumed was her desk and he hopped down from her shoulder to take a look around.

The cubicle was larger than he thought it would be. It was wide enough for at least two people to stand in and the desk covered two sides in an L shape. It was topped with two monitors, one of which was displaying a moving logo as a screensaver, a phone and several stacks of binders, catalogues and forms. Under the desk, there were two filing cabinets. The beige clothed walls were covered in various lists of products or reminders but he spotted in the messy arrangement a few doodles left and right. Little sticky notes peppered quick drawings around the place. Mostly, he noted, were little drawings of skulls, cats or bees. How cute.

Behind him, he could hear his Queen explaining her situation to a passing curious colleague. He had a feeling she’d be doing that a lot today. When she dropped her bag on the desk, one of the screens came to life, showing the desktop background to be a picture of the two of them, hanging with Vivi at a café. The bird monster had used foam from her latte to give Honey a wannabe imitation of a mustache after he had made fun of the one above his Queen’s lips. She had found it hilarious, as it showed in the picture. 

He reached out, touching the screen gently as he recalled that day. He felt a light blush grow on his cheekbones. She was looking at that picture every day? 

“I’m going to go get Prince and Tyrant settled in the conference room, you want to stay here and fix yourself a spot?” she asked, taking off her coat and bag to hang them on her chair. Honey looked away from the screen with a puzzled look.

“I’m staying with you?”

“If you want,” she said, pausing to look at him. “Would you prefer napping in with the cats?”

Honey took a step back as if that option had tried to attack him. “No, I'm good with staying with you. I’m curious to see you work.”

She giggled in response. “Oh it’s pretty boring, I can tell you.” She grabbed the two crates and her bag and motioned her messenger bag with a tilt of her chin. “I brought you a blanket if you want to make yourself a little nest. Just don’t wander off, I’ll be right back, ok?”

He nodded and watched her leave with the felines who had been strangely quiet since they had gotten inside. He hoped the older cat was ok and this wasn’t stressing him out.

“Oh my god it’s true what they said, on a de la visite!”

He flinched and turned around at the voice coming from behind him. Peeking from over the cubicle wall was the top half of a head, a human one. He recognized the voice from the lady that had brought the files over the day before. Her face was slim, shiny eyes framed by little rectangular glasses that matched her hair in tones of blue and pink. There was a kind of mischief in her eyes he couldn’t help but appreciate, like she was the human personification of a lively Sansy or a playful Muffet. 

“So~?” she asked, “Comment c’qui va aujourd’hui?”

Honey stared at her, blinking in incomprehension. She had spoken words, he was sure of it. She seemed to notice his confusion.

“How are you feeling today?” she asked again with the same tone, and this time he understood. 

He had a quick look around to make sure she was speaking to him, then nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’m fine, thanks. You’re Lexy right?”

“Ding ding! Gagné!” she cheered. “You want your prize now or later?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Honey answered, unsure as to what kind of reward she was offering. “Thank you for bringing the…” he pointed a thumb to the manila file his Queen had left on her desk. 

“Oh that was nothing,” she waved her hand dismissively. “De toute facon, we needed her to work on it, et ça allait pas arriver, worrying like she was. Glad you’re feeling better. Though, no offense mais… kessé tu fais ici?” she questioned motioning the desk.

Honey glanced around. She was probably wondering why he was here, so he gave her the short version of their situation: “Exterminators, short notice, chemical products and no babysitters.”

“Oooooh.” was all she said.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment. Honey shifted in place, unsure of what to do or say. He kind of wished his Queen would come back already. It’s not like the foxy girl staring at him looks dangerous, but he still could allow himself to fully trust random humans. Fate seemed to take pity on him as a chime rang and Lexy took a step back to check her phone. After a quick glance at it, she popped her head back over the wall and grinned at him.

“Anyway, gotta go. See you later Bitsy!”

“That’s not my-” before he could correct her, she had already left, leaving him to huff by himself. After a second, he shrugged and padded across the desk to open the bag containing the blanket. She had grabbed a flannel one, simple and warm and big enough he could fold it in half and still be able to drape it over him if he wanted to. For now however, he didn’t feel like sleeping, so he pushed the now mostly empty bag against one of the stacks of binders and started folding the blanket to make a makeshift cushion.

“Getting comfy, little dude?”

Honey whipped his head around with a start. What was with people creeping up on him today? The shape and height of the cubicle really didn’t help him see people coming before they were basically already on top of him. This time it was Leo. The man was leaning on the edge of the wall, a bunch of papers in his hand.

“Trying to,” Honey retorqued with a slip of annoyance. 

“Cool.” Leo looked around at the desk, seemingly looking for the owner of the cubicle. “I’ll just leave this list on her keyboard. Can you tell her we need it this morning? We need to ship these tomorrow and we need the new SKUs.”

Honey’s brows furrowed. “Doesn’t she have the meeting to prepare for?” 

Leo seemed startled by the rebuttal but quickly composed himself and chuckled, still dropping the papers on the keyboard. “You’re right little man. Whenever she has time then.” With a quick wave, the man left.

The same happened two more times by the time he could finish setting up his spot on her desk. People would come by, greet him, ask why he was there, then drop something on her keyboard and leave. She hadn’t even sat down to her desk yet and the work was already piling up. He eyed the papers she had brought back from home for her meeting and started to worry she would have the time to do everything. Maybe he could help somehow?

“Sorry about the wait!”

For the fourth time, Honey jumped and turned around, but this time, he smiled at the owner of the voice.

“Welcome back!” he greeted his Queen with a relief in his shoulder.

She eyed approvingly the spot he had set up to the left of the desk. With her bag serving as additional padding, he had shaped the blanket into a lounging chair facing the right. He would have a front seat to watch her work, yet had left enough space for her if she needed to work on the desk. With a satisfied nod, she set down a ceramic mug next to her keyboard and handed him a warm paper cup. With one sniff, he could tell those were their usual morning drinks.

“I found some honey in the kitchen. I can’t let you drink it as is, but if you want more hot water, just tell me and I’ll go get some.”

He nodded and thanked her, trying a first careful sip from the paper cup. It was far bigger and more flexible than his usual mug, but he managed fine. He set it next to his chair and watched as she took the papers on her keyboard, eyeing them over her mug.

“How are the cats?” he asked. He should really let her get to work, but he wanted to know.

“Well obviously they aren’t happy. Prince is hiding under the conference table and I had to open a can of wet food to get Tyrant to leave her carrier. When I left, they were both calm though and I made sure to leave a sign on the door so nobody walks in on them. We can check on them in a bit if you want.”

Honey nodded, sounded about right.

“But for now, it seems I have my work cut out for me,” she continued, motioning the papers in her hand.

“Leo said the new SKUs can wait a bit,” Honey pointed out. “Then the other list, it was from a horned lady, she asked to scan those and send them back when you're done, whatever that means.” He didn’t think it was necessary for him to relay the messages, but he couldn’t help himself. There was no way he wouldn’t at least do that for her. She nodded with every instruction, thumbing through the lists.

“Easy enough…” she commented. “I should probably start with the SKUs anyway since they need it for tomorrow’s shipment. Sooner that’s done, the sooner the guys in the warehouse can wrap them up.”

And so she did. She opened some programs and from his spot, he watched as she went through the first list, double checking models, prices and scribbling down notes and numbers on each line. He had no idea what she was doing or even where she was looking half the time, her eyes constantly dancing over the two monitors. He was tempted to ask, but thought better of it. He settled for quiet observation, sipping on his company-provided edition of Honey Dew. Her own coffee was left barely touched for the longest time until he reminded her about it. She giggled in response then downed the whole thing in one gulp under his gawking stare. Guess it was better than wasting it…

After a little over half an hour, she was done with the first list, had dropped the updated papers back onto Leo’s desk and had moved on to her next task. When she moved on to the document she had to scan, he was surprised to see her start typing the info into a spreadsheet. He was about to offer his help to dictate the numbers when he was stopped in his tracks by the speed at which her fingers typed on the keyboard. He stopped mid-sip to stare as she kept her eyes focused on the paper to her left, fingers typing nonstop. When she finally paused, he glanced at the screen and let out a choked laugh as the number continued to appear on the screen for several seconds, trying to catch up with what she had already typed in. He slowly applauded her, and she gave him a little humble bow, colors rising to her cheeks at his praise.

With the three morning task completed, she settled back into her ‘normal job’, checking her voicemail, and inbox. He was amazed to see her jump from emails to email, typing polite answers quickly despite some of them clearly annoying her. For a moment, she seemed to forget he was even here, focused on a call, typing notes as she asked questions and whatnot. 

It was breathtaking to see her like this, so in control, so sure of herself. She knew what she was doing, and she was no doubt great at it. He was trying to burn the image of his hardworking human in his mind when he remembered something.

“What do you mean, the unit is not compatible?” she asked, pausing from typing her note. “That’s too vague. Is it electrical? or the size doesn’t fi-”

_Click!_

She froze then swiftly turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise at the shutter’s sound and Honey pressed on the button on the screen again.

_Click!_

_Two perfect pictures for prosperity_ , he thought, smiling to himself as he lowered her phone to his lap.

She didn’t seem to think so, and she gave him a reprobating look before promptly finishing her phone call with a new embarrassed hue of pink on her cheeks. Honey chuckled at the sight but refrained from taking more pictures, lest he distracted her from work. 

He eventually lied down in his spot, tucking himself in for a quick nap, sockets closed, but he was kept from sleep by the constant ambient noise and hushed conversations around, only reassured by the presence of his Queen just a few inches from him but unable to actually fall asleep. He idly wondered if the cats were okay.

After a while, he felt like he was being watched. There were hushed giggles and Honey opened one socket to find two pairs of eyes watching him from over the cubicle wall. He swallowed an annoyed growl as they giggled again.

“Hee hee, I told you it was cute~”

“No way, Sansies are cuter.”

“I wish I could bring my Baby Blue to work.”

“Would probably be more helpful too.”

“Do you mind?” The giggles were cut off by the stern voice of his Queen, glaring at the two girls. “I’m trying to work, and Honey Bee is trying to sleep. I’m sure you have work to do too.”

The girls quickly walked away grumbling something about her being a stuck-up. When they were out of sight, she let out a long sigh and Honey spotted her fingers trembling slightly on the desk. She had stood up for herself, established boundaries and had voiced her thoughts when people had crossed them, despite her fear of confrontation. He was so proud of her.

He got up and padded across the desk to rest his hand on her shoulder. The trembling stopped immediately and she turned to look at him, a soft smile on her lips.

“How about a break to check up on the fur babies?” he offered.

She nodded with another sigh and motioned him to hop on her shoulder so she could take them to the conference room.

***

After spending a few minutes in the conference room, giving the felines some well deserved pets and allowing his human to calm down completely, they had gone back to her desk. Honey, though continuously impressed by her capacity, had grown tired of watching her work - it was exhausting just to watch really, how did she do that everyday? and had fetched his headphones to listen to an audio book. He hadn’t done that in a while and opted for one she had not really seemed into, something about a war between two clans of rabbits. He lied back, listening to the thick English accent, one socket on the switching windows on the two screens as she finalized her documentation for the upcoming meeting. 

Just like that, the first half of the day went by and after feeling a light tap on his thigh, he opened both sockets to find his hardworking human tapping her wrist to show it was lunch time.

They made their way to the glass door across the room. About halfway through the corridor, there was a door to the right with a large cafeteria. Four fridges lined one wall, next to three vending machines and a coffee station. Several tables filled the room and already, there was the buzz of lively conversations rising above the level of noise he had grown used to in the morning. He figured while they had to be quiet around the desks, this was the occasion for employees to talk their heart out. They found a table in the back, far from the louder group of people that seemed to bundle close to the coffee station and calmly dug in their lunch. 

She had brought the leftover of that greenish chicken soup with crackers for him, and a sandwich for her, along with a few cookies and monster candies. The soup alone was enough to fill him with plenty of magic, so instead of the candies, he swiped some of her cookies as dessert, making her laugh with faked indignation. They talked a little about her coming meeting and Honey got the feeling she was ready. To her own admittance, she had probably over prepared for it, but she felt it was better that way. He assured her she was going to do great and told her not to worry.

They spent another half an hour in the cafeteria, often joined by others that asked about Honey, cooing how cute bitties were, and basically whining over how they should allow bitties in the offices, then questioning why _he_ had been allowed to. When he saw how much time it took her every time to explain why she had to bring both her bitty and her pets to work, he took over, giving the next person the extra, four worded, short version. She giggled at the minimalistic explanation, but started using it herself on the next person. He was glad he had managed to find some way to help her since she hadn’t seemed keen to his previous idea of him answering the phone for her, faking to put the person on hold and to hum boring music to them until they hung up. That had still gotten her to laugh though, so it was a win.

This was nice, a nice distraction, especially after the long week of awkwardness they had gone through. He thanked the stars for this unprecedented chance to make a clean cut from that shit show. He may be a huge fan of routine, but he had to admit, he couldn’t have found a better way to turn the page on the horrible series of events that had led them to stray from one another. Sure, she wasn’t returning his feelings, but he was okay with that - kind of - and it was appeasing to know that when this bed bug thing was over, they would settle back in the comfort of their home... as friends… hopefully.

“I’m going to have to head to the meeting after lunch,” his Queen said as she picked up the rest of their lunch. “I’d feel better if you stayed in the conference room while I’m gone from my desk.”

Honey nodded, “Yeah I was about to suggest the same. I’m overdue for a nap.”

This brought a cloud of concern over her face. “Are you feeling ok? Do you want another candy or-”

“No, no, I’m fine,” he assured her with a little laugh, waving his hands in front of him. “I’m talking about the Lil Bro kind of nap, not the magic refilling kind, the soup did the trick don’t worry.”

“Oh good.” She let out a relieved sigh.

They made their way back to her desk, grabbed his blanket and headphones as well as her file for the meeting and walked over to the conference room. They were greeted by anxious meowling and thrills upon opening the door and since she still had some time, she sat down on the floor to pet both kitties as they crowded her. She opened another can of wet food, which seemed to calm them down a bit and gave them a few treats. Unfortunately, she soon had to leave and after making sure all three had what they needed, she gave each of them a last pat on the head and left. Honey didn’t miss how she was clutching the file in her arms but she gave him a reassuring smile before closing the door.

She was going to be fine.

The conference room being a closed office, it was very quiet compared to the previous areas. He waited for Prince to finish eating then, when the older cat settled under a chair to groom himself, Honey splayed out the blanket and curled up against his side to nap in the warm fur. There was an hesitant purr coming from the cat but when Honey started stroking his back, it changed to a steady vibration and the bitty was quickly lulled to sleep.

It was a different kind of vibration that woke Honey a little later. At first, he thought Tyrant had decided to come nip at Prince to release some of her stress, but as he opened one socket to give her a warning glare, he spotted her crouched under a chair a few feet away, growling lowly at something. She was staring at the ventilation grate on the opposite wall near the floor. There was the sound of something scratching beyond it and he figured this being a warehouse, it was to be expected there would be mice or something, although, this sounded bigger. Maybe a rat? Either way, it was _rat_ tling her... nyhehe.

“What’s wrong Tyrant, your hunter’s instinct is getting to you?” he joked as he sat up, rubbing his socket.

There was a metallic bang and Honey jumped, suddenly more alert. The noise had come from the other wall to his right. He looked past the chair’s feet and saw there was another vent. Something rushed to the left behind it. 

This time, even Prince got up, knocking Honey to his knees in the process, and crawled toward the first vent, ears and whiskers forward, eyes unblinking. He might have been older and missing a few claws, but his skills were still sharp compared to those of the younger calico.

Honey carefully stepped between the cats, keeping his sockets on the grate. Whatever had run past the other vent was heading in this direction. He might not have been a fighter, but there was no way he’d let either of his furry companions face some sort of rodent by themselves. He held out a hand, ready to summon a bone attack if neede-

Suddenly, his vision went dark, obscure by the cloth bag that was thrown and tied over his skull. He let out a yelp and moved to attack whoever had sneaked up behind him but with one swift movement, both his arms were pulled to his back and his knees buckled under him. Before another word could escape his mouth, he felt himself being pulled in a shortcut and landed heavily on a cold metallic surface. Then was the sound of paws hitting a plate along with some growling and frustrated hissing, but it sounded like he had been pulled behind the grate, out of reach.

He tried to blindly struggle out of his assailant’s grasp, but his efforts were only met with a tighter grip and a dark chuckle.

**_“Well lookit what I caught today. I’m smelling a feast tonight~!”_ **

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahaha!!!  
> How much do you recon I could get as a ransom for a bitty?  
> mmmh I wonder~
> 
> Tell me what you thought of this chapter! :D  
> I love reading your comments!
> 
> Another chapter I had to cut in half!  
> I hope I can get the next one up before I go back to work next week, because I've literally been itching to write this part for months! It's been taunting me from my planning document and I want to do it justice.
> 
> See you soon!  
> ****
> 
> Also, don't forget to comment which type of narrative you would prefer Queen Bee's POV to be:
> 
> first person : "... I walked into the field."  
> second person : "... you walked into the field."  
> third person : "... she walked into the field."


	21. My Working Honey Bee (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey discovers the meaning of 'Bitter' work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready...  
> for an adventure!?
> 
> Because this one is one hell of a ride!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! ;)
> 
> p.s: Just a note of warning, I've been spoiling you guys since I was off work, but vacations are over now ( Boooo!!! -_- ), so posting will be back to a slower pace. Just wanted to let you know so you don't worry ^^

My working Honey Bee part 2

  
  


An anxious meow echoed in the vent, desperate and calling. It warped into a metallic shrill that pale in comparison to the scrapping of bone against the aluminum of the ventilation shaft. Honey twisted his arms, pulling at the grip of the tie wrap chafing his wrist behind his back. He was being dragged by the scruff of his hoodie, the front of the collar was tight around his neck, as if the bag on his head wasn’t hard enough to breath through. They were going at a steady pace, too fast for Honey to find purchase with his feet, and he felt he was intentionally being tossed left and right as they rounded each corner. The part of his brain that wasn’t freaking out was telling him they were probably in the air ducts in the ceiling, perhaps even as high as the one in the warehouse. The rest of him was busy cursing in all possible ways at his assailant. He had never been as creative with insults yet the bag muffled his words and the one dragging him only chuckled at the noise.

After what felt like an eternity, he was slammed against a vertical surface, what was left of air in his chest being knocked out of him in the process. The grip of his hoodie on his cervicals lessened and it took a few seconds for him to realize this was probably the time to try and get away. Before he could get to his feet however, he felt a pressure on his chest and he was slammed once more against the wall with a loud metallic bang.

“Hold _steel_ , tasty, we’re almost there.” The voice was deep and raspy, almost like a constant growl. Yet it had dragged the words out purposefully.

Honey paused. A pun? _Who the hell would make puns at a time like this!?_

There was a sharp whistle and after a few seconds of silence, hurried steps came from above them.

“Y’called?” another voice said. This one was higher pitched, but just as raspy, like a toddler that would have smoked non stop for 20 years.

“Got a haul, go get _lead_.”

Honey jumped when something fell loudly to his left, assumingly dropping from above if the painful huff that accompanied it was anything to go by. There was a chuckle, followed by the first voice.

“Gotta work on da superhero landing, squirt.”

“I did,” the other winced as they got up. “See? didn’ even break a bone this time. So whatcha got?” 

Honey yelped, flinching as a hard finger poked his side. He let out another series of curse, flinging his legs about, hoping to hit whoever had touched him. “You fucking rectum goblins! Don’t touch me!?”

“Feisty,” the leprechaun voice commented. “Squirrel?”

“Yeah, a rare Norwegian ginger talking squirrel.”

“Never seen one of those.”

There was a pause during which Honey could actually hear the first mentally facepalm. Honey would have gladly joined in on the motion, but he was a little tied up at the moment.

“It’s a bitty, Six… I was pullin’ your leg.”

“Ooh... thought you needed a hand.” 

Despite himself, Honey let out a small laugh and hated himself for it. He was starting to get the picture, a very dark one, but one none the least. “Okay dumbasses, enough with the shitty jokes,” he shouted out, hopefully in the direction of one of the abductors. “You got your kicks, now let me out of these.” He pulled at the ties in his back for good measure. 

“Zit the same as last time?” the smaller voice asked, ignoring him completely. “Thought Baby Blues were smaller and… less vulgar.”

The other growled in response, obviously not pleased to be reminded of that time. “Dif’rent. This one ain't getting away.”

“Wanna break its legs to be sure?”

Honey froze, cold sweat forming on his skull as he felt a bony finger creep up his left shin, the sharp ends gritted against the material of his pants and for a terrible second, he hesitated about kicking it. He was well rested, but he didn’t have that much HP to begin with. Broken bones was not something he could afford.

“No…” the deeper voice said calmly, “Whada want is for ya to go get lead, like I asked ya. I’m getting it ranked for catch of the week.” 

“Boo-oo, said the ghost.”

Regardless of their complaint, the newcomer skidded away with the complementary sound of scratching metal as he climbed the shaft back where he came from. After a moment, Honey heard the shuffle of clothes to his right. He kept his sockets screwed shut - he couldn’t see anything anyway and tried to feel where the other was. He gasped when the voice came in a whisper next to his head.

“Alright, Lil Bro, I know you’re pissed. You should _vent_.”

Honey barely had the time to register the words, he was pushed and with a sickening sense of vertigo, he felt the floor disappear from under him. He let out a long panicked shriek as he was sent tumbling down a chute. Behind him, he could hear the bastard laughing. 

He expected the final impact to hurt but when he was spouted out of the chute, he landed on something soft and malleable. He let out a final ‘Fucking jerkwad!’ to the one who had pushed him, then let out a sigh, trying to relax his achy body into what he assumed was a pile of clothes or pillows. He was quickly made aware by the jolting of the surface next to him that whoever had abducted him had also slid down and had joined him in the new space. What he was also becoming aware of was the several snickering sounds coming from around him.

With a harsh motion, the bag was ripped from his skull and Honey gaped at his surrounding. He had been right about the pillows. He was laying on his back on top of what could only be described as a mountain of pillows of all sizes and colors, with various levels of stains on them. Around the nest, lining the walls, there were several makeshift shelves displaying dozens of trinkets varying from a dried flower to a decorated pine cone, to crown of feathers to - he swallowed loudly - the full reassembled skeleton of a rat, wired with thin threads of metal. Honey recalled hearing them talk about getting lead… were they going to wire him up like that rat?!

A new snickering sound caught his attention and Honey slowly turned to the other side of the room. He gulped, suddenly feeling very exposed and almost started to regret the blissful darkness of the cloth bag. Staring at him with their bloated eyelight were not one, not two…

But 5 Horror bitties.

Along with the one that was getting up next to him, four others were scattered across the room: One of them was sitting on a chair, feet prompted on a table, another was sitting on a desk a few paces away, hands between his thighs as he leaned toward Honey to take a better look, one more was leaning against a doorway, blocking the only exit Honey could see and the last stood next to a stack of shelves, glaring at him with a gauging scowl, a hand firmly grasping the top of a permanent marker strapped to his waist like he would a sword. 

Honey noted they all wore the same kind of outfit composed of a bluish grey smock with a dark blue hoodie tucked under, except for the one near the door, who was wearing his on top of his smock, hood pulled over his skull, plunging his face in shadow save for the glistering of his calculating eyelight. Light reflected on the metal band each one wore on one part or another of their body.

Honey tucked his legs in front of him, swallowing loudly as he took every individual in. No one was saying anything and soon, the silence became too heavy to bear, even for him.

“So hum…” he started hesitantly. “Sorry to _drop in_ on you guys like that.”

There was a loud chuckle coming from the one sitting at the table. In one swift movement, he grabbed the chair, twirled it around and sat back on it backward, the metal band on his right leg bearing the number ‘4’ clicking against the chair’s leg. Tilting his head, he motioned toward Honey.

“Would you look at that, some _One_ brought us a _sweet treat_!” he chuckled, his socket still on Honey. 

“Careful Four, you’re gonna make him _fall_ for you,” the one sitting on the desk chimed in and Honey recognized the high pitched voice he had heard earlier. 

“I say it’s too late for that! At least this one looks good enough to _eat_ ,” Four replied, licking his teeth with something more than hunger and Honey felt the sudden need to crawl back a pace and put as much distance between him and the twisted bitty.

“Whered’ja find him?” interjected the one by the shelf. The sleeves of his smock were torn at the shoulders and he wore his metal band around his neck, the number ‘2’ engraved on it front and center.

“Was hangin’ around the felines from this mornin’ in C7.” The bitty that had come down the chute with him was now wiping his hands on a towel from one of the shelves. His attire was all patched up and torn, his skull and hands were covered in claw-like scars and even the band on his left arm showing the number ‘1’ was scratched all over.

Upon hearing his answer, number 2 frowned. “We have a breach?”

“Stop yer _bone rattling_ , I check’d the perimeter, it’s clean.” One replied, rolling his eyelight at him.

“As if this place could ever be clean,” commented number four with a pout.

“You know,” the one on the desk tilted his head as he spoke up, looking up at the ceiling with both his dilated eyelight in his left socket and the pinprick in his right. He brought his hand to his face, turning the number on the brace-like band on his right wrist from a 6 to a 9, to let his phalanges tick against his teeth as he thought aloud. “He looks kinda familiar, y’know?”

Number Two turned to the smallest bitty of the bunch then proceeded to stare at Honey, eyelight squinting distrustfully at him, “A repeat offender?”

Honey shook his head vigorously. “I Swear! it’s my first time here! I was-”

“Naaah Six,” interrupted the hooded one in the back. He tugged a bit on the hood on his head, covering the hole in his skull. It seemed quite large compared to the others, or perhaps there was more than one? Honey mentally took note of the number 5 on the band on his left leg. “The bitty you’re thinking of had a mustache, squirt.”

“Ooh... yeah, you’re right,” Six looked a little dejected and the other snickered, grinning.

“Naah, I’m Five.” He winked at Honey.

Honey’s sockets followed as each spoke. So they did call themselves by number. Honey suddenly frowned as he realized, “Wait, a bitty... _with a mustache_?”

“So what do we do with him?” asked Two, his teeth turning into a cruel sneer.

“I can think of a few things,” Four answered, his eyelight still lidded at Honey, making him shudder again.

“We ain't doin’ nothin,” One snapped with a growl. “I caught ‘im, my prey, my haul, it’s going in the books.”

“Oh come on!” whined Four, leaning forward over the back of his chair. “The last one you caught was filthy AND you let it get away.” The unpleasant reminder got him a growl from One. “At least let me have some fun with it! Just a _bite_ ~!”

“NO!” Honey yelled, echoed by One. The two of them blinked and looked at each other before Honey quickly shook his head and yelled all around, “You guys are fucking insane! What is wrong with you?! What the hell have you kidnapped me for?”

“Kidnapped?” Six questioned.

“He means Bitty-napped,” said Five, absentmindedly scratching at the hole on the right side of his skull.

“Kidnapped’s a _bitty_ harsh, don’cha think?” One snickered, causing a chorus of chuckle to follow. “I mer’ly gave you a front row seat for da _Horror Show_ ~!”

Honey felt heat rise to his cheekbones. His wrists were hurting, his shoulders were aching from his arms being kept in his back all this time, he was being blatantly ignored by a bunch of bitties whose intentions were far from clear and even _he_ didn’t think he could take another joke at this point. He felt tears prickle at the edge of his sockets.

“WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THAT RUCKUS?”

Silence fell on the room and all the Horror bitties jumped to their feet, lining up on each side of the doorway to allow the newcomer to walk in. Honey’s sockets widened in shock.

Metal soles clicked on the ground under the boots as they stepped in the room, the tip was metal plated and shiny to a fault. They wrapped around thin legs covered by dark leather pants so well fitted, they barely creaked when he moved. The slick pants were held to his thin hip bones by a silver buckle engraved with flames that shone just as much as the real thing. A black shirt fitted around his spine, covering every inch of bone even as he moved and covered the entirety of his chest to wrap around his neck, leaving only the last three cervical exposed. Pointy shoulder pads had been obviously added to the leather vest matching the pants in tone, the only hint of color being the red treads that bound the pieces together along with highlighted cuffs of the same blood color and a metal band on his left upper arm with elegant calligraphic letters etched on it: Leader. 

The Boss towered over all of them by several inches, although Honey had some doubt the boots may have played a role in giving him an extra inch or so, and entered the room calmly, head held high, hands behind his back. He glared at each of the Horror bitties on his way in and stopped in front of Honey, who was still tied up and splayed on the nest of pillows. 

“Hum…” Honey smiled sheepishly at the slender bitty. “Hi~?”

If skeletal bitties had blood, there would be veins pulsing on the Boss’ forehead right now, he was sure. He was still unsure what he had gotten himself into. Sure the Horrors were a bit crazy, but if they were answering to a Boss, that meant they were organized. What were they doing in his Queen’s warehouse? Stars! Would he ever feel like she was safe at work, knowing these bitties were there?!

The impatient growl coming from the leather clad bitty brought him back to the present. He pushed aside all the worst scenarios that were flooding his mind, and concentrated on finding a way not to piss off the already fuming Boss bitty. Before he could find anything not completely idiotic to say, the bitty raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. Number Six rushed to his side, looking up expectantly at him.

“EXPLAIN.”

“One found this bitty hanging in C7 with the felines from this morning’s report, Sir.” the bitty explained with a clarity and precision Honey didn’t know Horrors could have.

“WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED IMMEDIATELY?”

“He called me but then told me to go get laid.”

Honey choked on a laugh.

“LIES!” One screamed, making everyone jump. His entire skull had gone bright pink, and Four started chuckling, soon joined by the others. “I said LEAD! not laid! LEAD!” He then pointed desperately at Honey. “Ask the bitty Sir! I told him to go get you!”

“Don’t think he can help you, One, he’s kind of _tied up_ at the moment,” Five commented, causing another round of chuckles among the line up.

“Could even say he’s in _quite a bind_ ,” added Four, and the chuckling turned to full on laughter.

“SILENCE YOU TWATTING FUNGUSES!” 

Everyone fell quiet once more. Number One stepped back into his position in line but not before giving Six a glare worth a thousand knives. Leader, as was apparently his name, took another step toward Honey, making the Lil Bro flinch defensively.

“YOU! IDENTIFY YOURSELF.”

Honey blinked for a second, at a loss for what to say. He had more or less resigned himself to being a spectator and although it had annoyed him to hell that his questions were being ignored, he kind of preferred that to being at the center of this bitty’s attention.

“I’m…” he swallowed, willing himself to show some countenance. “My name is Honey Bee.”

“YOU AREN'T FILTHY ENOUGH TO BE A WILD BITTY,” the Boss stated, his sharp eyelights studying him.

Ok, rude. He was just dragged through the ventilation system against his will, so yeah, possible he was a little dusty. 

“I’m not a wild bitty, I came here with my Qu-” he stopped himself. He didn’t know if those bitties would take too kindly to his affection toward his Queen. For now, it was best to play it safe. “I came here today with my human, she works in the office below.” 

“AND I SUPPOSE YOU CAN EXPLAIN WHY YOU WERE ASSOCIATING YOURSELF WITH FELINE CREATURES ON THE PREMISES?” Leader raised a skeptic brow bone at him, arms snaking together to cross in front of his chest.

“Premises? Why are you talking like you’re guarding the place?”

“SILENCE! I’LL BE THE ONE ASKING THE QUESTIONS HERE, TRESPASSER!” Leader yelled, pointing a finger at him. “NOW ANSWER MY QUESTION AND BE CONCISE OR I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN A CRATE HEADING FOR THE NEAREST DOG SHELTER,” The Boss lowered his face, his eyelights flaring with a sadistic light as he added, “AND I CAN PROMISE YOU THE DOGS WILL **L O V E** YOU.”

Honey gulped and blinked at the bitty, watching his face carefully from his half-laid position in the nest. He could tell the threat was serious, he had no doubt about it but... something else was bugging him. Seeing the tapping boot as a telltale sign of the bitty’s patience running out, he quickly shouted his answer.

“Meeting, exterminators, chemical product, short notice, no babysitter!”

Leader opened his mouth to say something, but closed it without a word and chose to scowl at him instead. Honey took the hint to explain further.

“The cats are our pets, we didn’t know where to bring them while our home is being treated for bugs. We didn’t have time to figure anything else out so she asked her boss and he agreed to let her bring them at work for the day.”

“ _YOUR_ PETS YOU SAY?” Leader gave him a skeptical look, plum colored eyelights searching his face.

“Yeah, they're Pri- wait…” Honey’s sockets widened as it finally clicked. That eyelight hue, the sharp curve of his cheekbones, even the choice of words in his threat… He grunted as he sat up among the pillows, legs crossed beneath him. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

The Boss’s back straightened and the scowl on his face grew angrier. “YOU BEST ELABORATE ON HOW THIS IMPRESSION HAS COME TO YOU.”

“I don't know but, you feel familiar…” Honey thought back for a moment. He had been with his Queen for almost a year now, but before that, he had gone to so many centers, perhaps... “Were you ever at the bitty center on River street? The one in front of the watergate?”

The Boss’s eyelights lit up in surprise. “HOW DO YOU KN- WAIT A MOMENT.” He suddenly pointed at him. “ARE YOU _THAT_ LIL BRO? THE ONE WITH THE DREAM FETISH?”

“What the f-” Honey yelled, cheek flushing bright orange. “It’s not a fetish!” 

Behind the Boss, he could hear the Horrors snicker. _What the hell?!_ As if his reaction had been the confirmation he needed, Leader hit his fist in his hand.

“IT _IS_ YOU!”

He snapped his fingers on his right hand and Number Five shuffled out of the rank to stalk behind Honey. There was the swift sound of a summoned attack, but before Honey could ponder what it was for, the plastic tie wrap in his back was cut and his shoulders were finally able to roll free in their sockets. He massaged his shoulder, testing a turn of his arm, mumbling to himself. 

“To think that’s what I’m remembered by, sheesh…” 

There was a tap on his shoulder and Honey looked up to see number 5 winking at him before walking back to his spot in the line up. He elbowed number 1 and whispered something, the bunch proceeded to snicker again. Reflexively, Honey patted the back of his shoulder, making sure the bitty hadn’t stuck a paper on his back or something. 

A skeletal hand appeared in his peripheral and Honey looked up to see the Boss offering a hand to get up.

“I MUST ADMIT THE THOUGHT OF SEEING YOUR DEVIANT ASS AGAIN HAS NEVER CROSSED MY MIND,” he stated as he pulled the grumbling bitty up. “HOW IS IT YOU ARE NOT WITH HIM? I FIGURED BY NOW THE TWO OF YOU WOULD BE BONDED AND MATED.”

“Oh come on! We weren’t like that!” Honey objected, incapable of calming the blush on his face. He tried to shrug it off, looking to the side. “We were just friends.”

The Boss raised a brow bone. “FRIENDS WITH THE STAMINA OF A BABY BLUE I’LL SAY.” 

Honey groaned again as he heard the horrors laugh. Whatever!

“What about you?” he switched the subject, knowing the Boss would be unable to resist talking about himself. “What are you doing here? I thought you had been adopted?”

The tall bitty straightened his back, putting his hand back behind him as he spoke. “I HAVE IN FACT NOT BEEN ADOPTED. RATHER, I WAS HIRED.” When Honey blinked at him in confusion. Leader gestured toward the rest of the group. “WE, ARE CLEANING CREW B.” 

“Cleaning… you mean you WORK here?” Honey gawked at him. An expression the other bitty seemed to be most pleased with. 

“THAT IS CORRECT, OLD FRIEND.” He took several long steps, stopping in the middle of the two rows of Horrors at the door before turning to glance back at Honey over his shoulder pad with a proud shine in his eyelight. “ ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU AROUND.”

Exiting what Leader later referred to as their sleep quarters, Honey followed the tall bitty through a dim corridor made mainly of metal. The floor on the first 12 feet around the nest had been lined with thick soft wood, which muted the clacking of the Boss’s boots until they reached a junction. The right side was going down in a slow slope while the left seemed to be heading up with a similar angle. In front of them, there was a ladder going up. Without hesitation, the Boss turned left and proceeded up, moving on with his exposition speech. 

“OUR UNIT, ALTHOUGH REGISTERED AS A CLEANING CREW, REPORTS DIRECTLY TO THE HIGHER BRANCHES OF HUMAN RESOURCES. OUR PRESENCE IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT IS GUARDED FROM THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE EMPLOYEES, AND WE MAKE IT A POINT NOT TO BE SEEN. THE ANONYMITY ALLOWS US TO WORK WITHOUT BEING DISTURBED AS WELL AS TO LOWER THE CHANCE OF HUMANS TRYING TO…” he paused, looking over his shoulder. 

Honey paused and mimicked the gesture. A few feet away, back at the junction, the five horrors were huddled up and he watched as two of them pulled their hand from behind their back at each other, the hooded Horror pulled one with two spread phalanges while the other, with the patched up smock, showed a full hand. The second one groaned and grumbled as he descended through the right slope while the others snickered at his back. Honey raised a brow and looked back to Leader. 

Having confirmed the others were out of earshot, Leader continued in a whisper. “We Don’t Want To Risk The Employees Feeding Them Off The Clock.”

“Zit feeding time a'ready, Leader?” 

The two tall bitties jumped. Number Two was standing in front of them, grin wide, his bloated eyelight fuzzing at the edges at the mention of food as it twitched between the two shocked bitties. Leader quickly composed himself and stomped his foot, the loud clanking metal of his sole making both of them wince.

“NOT NOW, YOU INSUFFERABLE GLUTTON. YOU ALREADY HAD A MEAL THIS MORNING. GO CATCH SOMETHING IF YOU’RE THAT HUNGRY.”

Two’s eyelight sharpened and he glared at Honey past Leader’s shoulder with a malicious grin. “What about him? D'you ‘pan’ on having him over for dinner?”

Honey waved his hands nervously in front of him. “N-No thanks, I already ate!”

“So that’s why you smell so good,” came a voice from behind him. Honey yelped, feeling two hands run on the back of his lower spine. He raised his arms to look down to his left side to find a cracked skull nuzzling his side, sniffing him. The bitty looked up, a hooded, suggestive eyelight trailing up to Honey’s face. “How about you wait for us next time? I’m all for sharing.”

“ENOUGH OF YOUR SUCCUBIC FROLICSOMENESS, FOUR!” Leader intervened, “I CAN ASSURE YOU OUR FRIEND HERE HAS FANCIES THAT DON’T MATCH YOURS. OFF WITH YOU NOW! IF YOU CATCH SOMETHING DECENT, WE CAN ALL HAVE AN EARLY DINNER.”

That seemed to snap both Horrors to attention. They both gave a quick salute with a ‘Yes Sir!’ and disappeared into the corridor with the skittering sound of little boots.

Honey waited a few moments before sighing. “Dude, you really gotta stop bringing it up.”

“YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN NOTED.” Leader responded without an ounce of remorse. 

They continued up the slope and came to an exit. The sudden change of light blinded Honey for a second and when he blinked the glare away, his gaze fell on his feet… and the major drop beyond the small railing he was stepping on.

“Woah!” he yelled, grabbing the edge of the door frame he had just passed. “The hell?”

They were all the way up in the rafters of the warehouse, looking down from a suspended catwalk, he could see the top of the piled boxes and storing shelves. The people walking on the floor below were reduced to the size of ants moving about, the sounds of beeping and conversation only reaching them as a vague echoe. Still holding on to the frame, he carefully peeked down and spotted the painted trail running alongside the wall they had used when they had gotten in this morning as well as the doors going into the offices. People were coming in and out of them, greeting each other in passing. 

“ARE YOU GOING TO STAND THERE AND GAGGLE ALL DAY?”

Honey blinked and looked in front of him. Leader was standing on the catwalk, hands relaxed behind his back. If he didn’t know any better, he would say the Boss bitty was enjoying the sight of the terrified bitty before him… who was he kidding, of course he was enjoying himself!

Without waiting for an answer, Leader resumed his walk on the railing. Honey noted it was actually wide enough to walk on safely, so long as you paid attention. There were also hand railings on each side to hold on to if needed. Keeping both hands on the said railings, Honey followed after the Boss, trying his best not to look down. After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the other side and slipped into another large vent. Even as he tried to make sense of the twist and turn they were going through, Honey couldn’t help but feel like they were getting lost in a maze. If it wasn’t for the confident sound of the steps before him, he would have grown concerned, but the other bitty seemed to know exactly where they were, where they were going and how to get there. 

Where _were_ they going anyway?

“AS I WAS SAYING, AS PART OF THE CLEANING CREW, OUR MAIN JOB IS TO KEEP THE OFFICES AND THE WAREHOUSE FREE OF UNWANTED VISITORS.” He glanced back at Honey, eyelights going over his frame once before resuming. “OF COURSE, THAT INCLUDES WILD BITTIES ON RARE OCCASIONS.”

“So you…”

“WE HUNT, HONEY BEE.” Leader let out an annoyed huff. “WE HUNT VERMIN.”

“oh.”

After another minute, Leader stopped before a rather large door, well, large considering their own size. It looked a bit like a miniature fire exit, with a pushable handle bar running across its middle. The tall bitty pushed the door open and holding the door, he motioned Honey in.

Honey stepped in what he could only describe as… living quarters. There were cushions and couches on the left side, with a wide table and half a dozen chairs. The table itself was made of wood and appeared to have claws marks all over its surface, as if inpatients little clawed hands had been gripping at the edges repeatedly. The floor was slick and shiny, clearly over washed, part of it discolored by the history of feet shuffling through the same path over time. The trail led up to a fully functional kitchenette, where he could see a large counter and what looked like a double burner stove and even a sink. Another part of the trail split from the path to the right toward another large door that was held closed with a heavy lock. After giving the tall bitty an interrogative look, the locked door was identified as a freezer for food storage. Honey noted another used patch on the floor leading to a small office to the left. The open door was made of a single pane of glass and faced the locked door directly. Leader guided Honey toward the said office and closed the glass door behind him.

The office was plain but neatly kept. A dark wood desk faced the door and Honey suspected this was intended so he could watch the food storage door across more easily while sitting at his desk. On the walls, someone had hung pictures of the cleaning crew and a framed letter of employment. A cabinet stood in the far corner, which Leader opened promptly and took out a notebook. 

Honey followed his movement as he rounded the desk to face the right wall.

"So you've been doing this for how long- wow!" His sockets widened at the sight of a tablet hanging on the wall. He whistled, impressed. "Bet you can play sick games on that!"

"HUSH FOOL," Leader hissed at him. "THIS IS FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY."

As he spoke, he tapped the screen and selected a video chat app. He pressed the first - and only- name on the contact list. Susan Fox.

A ringing noise filled the room and the Boss bitty straightened his back, waiting for the call to connect. Honey watched in silence until the screen switched to display the upper body of a human woman, wearing a grey blazer over a pinkish blouse.

“Hey Skully, what’s up?” she said cheerfully. The Boss bitty groaned slightly and tapped on his arm brace. “Oh, I mean Leader. What can I do for you?”

“MISS FOX, I DO REITERATE MY REQUEST FOR YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT WHILE I AM IN FUNCTION.”

“I will, the day you agree to call me Mulder.”

“YOUR DEMAND IS NONSENSICAL MISS FOX. MULDER IS NOT EVEN YOUR NAME.”

Honey blinked twice, looking from the screen to the bitty next to him, then back to the screen. Jerking a thumb toward the stoic bitty, he asked the lady on the screen, “He doesn’t know about _the files_ , does he?”

The lady sighed, defeatedly shaking her head. “Sadly, not even as a concept.”

Honey chuckled. “Don’t worry, I'm sure one day he’ll realize that,” Honey deepened his voice as much as he could, ” _the truth is out there, Mudler_.”

The lady on the screen squealed loudly and doubled down in a fit of laughter, dragging Honey with her as he started chuckling. Leader gawked at the both of them alternately, his jaw hanging loose in incomprehension.

“WHAT TRUTH? WHAT ARE YOU TWO FOOLS BLABBERING ABOUT?!”

“Skully! Who’s your friend? I love him!” Fox managed to articulate between laughters.

Honey gave a little bow, “My name is Honey Bee, nice to meet you Miss Fox Mulder.” A new wave of squeals rang through the office and Honey heard people shushing her on her side of the screen.

Leader growled in confusion. “ENOUGH! WHY ARE YOU CALLING HER THAT, HER NAME IS SUSAN FOX, NOT MULDER!”

“Can’t break a fan’s dream, Skully,” Honey gave his padded shoulder a sympathetic pat. Something he regretted immediately as Leader pulled his arm and twisted it behind his back with a defensive growl. “Ow, ow, ow!” OK! OK! Uncle! I give!”

The bitty let him go, shoving him a few inches further than where he was originally standing and turned his attention back to the screen. The lady was wiping her eyes, apologizing to someone off screen and telling them she’d explain later.

“THE PURPOSE OF MY CALL TODAY, MISS FOX,” he stated matter of factly, as if he hadn’t just called her a fool a few seconds ago, “IS TO REPORT THAT THE PRESENT BITTY WAS COLLECTED ON THE PREMISES. HE CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN GRANTED A PERMIT OF STAY, ALONG WITH TWO FELINE BEASTS, FOR THE DAY. SINCE WE HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THIS, WE ACTED ACCORDING TO PROTOCOLE AND PROCEEDED WITH THE CAPTURE OF SAID INTRUDER.”

“Huh…” she pondered for a moment. “I think I did hear about something like that.” She directed her attention to Honey who was now barely in shot on the screen. “Can you confirm who you came in with, sweetheart?”

Honey gave the Boss a quick look and when he motioned him to answer, Honey responded truthfully, giving the full name of his Queen as well as a quick recap of why they were at her workplace to begin with. He didn’t want to get her in trouble, so he made sure to be polite. He figured he already was on her good side from the X-files joke, best not to ruin it.

When he finished his explanation, she cut the sound of her mic and picked up her phone. Honey watched anxiously as she made a call to confirm his story. He wished he had paid more attention to the name of her boss, that way he could have told Fox exactly who had given them permission to stay for the day. If she was trying to get in touch with his human directly, he doubted he would reach her. By this time, she was most probably still in that meeting. He wondered how it was going. Had she covered all her bases and prepared enough? He hoped she was ok and that people weren’t refuting her arguments. He knew she was bad with confrontations. If it was just an exposé, she’d be fine but if she had to stand against someone and endure comebacks, she could definitely have a panic attack. Honey gritted his teeth, his fist clenched together as he thought about her. The last 12 hours had been so rough for her, so much had happened and so fast. What if, after everything, she was getting overwhelmed? What if she had gotten out of the meeting and had come to find him, only to see he had disappeared without a trace. What if she was freaking out right now and- 

“WHAT ARE YOU GETTING ALL NERVOUS FOR, IDIOT.”

Honey snapped back to attention, turning to look at Leader. The words had been pronounced with a kind of reassuring softness, like the Boss had sense what he was thinking. Honey went to answer when he spotted something on the other side of the tall bitty. He leaned forward a bit and saw that standing on the other side was the short Horror bitty, the one with the second eyelight and the goblin voice. He was leaning against Leader’s side, his cheek rubbing on the bottom of the Boss’s jacket, all but purring as a hand absentmindedly scratched behind his skull.

Honey’s socket trailed back up and was met with a scowl screaming “SPEAK, AND I WILL END YOU.” 

“OK!” the voice brought his attention back to the screen where Fox had finished her phone call. From the corner of his socket, Honey saw Leader’s hand fly off the bitty’s skull to cross in front of him. “It’s all green Leader. She is apparently still in the meeting but I spoke with someone and Honey Bee and the two cats do have clearance for the day. Oh, hi Liten!” she added when she spotted the small bitty who gave her a shy wave back.

Leader gave her a nod. “YOU HAVE MY THANKS FOR CONFIRMING THE SITUATION, MISS FOX.”

“Of course, not a problem. Was there anything else?”

“I’M AFRAID I WILL NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT IF I DON’T ASK. ALBEIT THE BITTY IS NOW CONFIRMED AS A NON THREAT, NUMBER ONE WISHES THE CAPTURE TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR. IF YOU MAY PROVIDE US WITH ANY AMOUNT GIVEN THE SITUATION.”

Honey raised a brow bone. Accounted for? Amount? Number One did say something about getting ranked and putting him in the book. What was that about?

“I’m sure Sterk would,” she said pensively, looking down at a list in front of her. “Alright, because he managed to get me someone to geek out with, tell him I’m putting up 500 catch points in your account. That should make him happy.”

“HE MOST CERTAINLY WILL BE, THANK YOU.”

“Alright, bye for now then, it was nice to meet you Honey Bee!” she waved at him and he barely had the time to wave back before the call ended. 

Without wasting a moment, Leader turned to the small bitty. “WHAT IS IT YOU WANT, NUMBER 6?”

The little goblin smiled up at his Boss, apparently pleased to have his full attention. “Two caught a full mouse, says it’s a 90 pointer. Wanna put it in the freezer, can we eat now?”

“WELL THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG DID IT! IF YOU MONGRELS COULD BE THIS EFFICIENT ALL THE TIME.” He turned his attention to Honey. “YOU GO ON IN THE COMMON ROOM, I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE NEEDY GULCHINS BEFORE THEY START CHEWING ON THE FURNITURE.”

Honey nodded slowly. “Sure, take your time.” He watched Leader exit the office in long strides, leaving him alone with the small bitty. Unable to stop himself, he looked down at the small fry at his side. “Did you say ‘freezer’?”

Six’s eyelights glowed softly and he gave him a wide mischievous grin, but said nothing and stalked away to join the others. Honey stared at the door left open, calling after him.

“ _Why did you say the freezer?_ ”

  
  


***

It was an odd thing to watch.

Leader was gracefully moving in the kitchenette, cutting pieces of vegetables, stirring up the meat, every movement carefully crafted to combine efficacy and elegance as he prepared the meal. In the meantime, all five Horrors were lined up, watching his every move from behind the counter, the top of their skull barely above counter level. From his point of view, slouched in a bean bag in the common room, he could see their little hands twitching as they fought the urge to snatch some of the ingredients laying before them. 

When the meal was in its final phase, the small bitties all grabbed their plate and scurried away and raced to the table, all but fighting to get seated first. Honey smirked when he noticed how they all grabbed at the edge of the table, their little clawed hands making new marks on the edges. Yeah, that was about how he had pictured it. Leader made his way over with a huge pot of spaghetti. Each of the Horrors presented their plate, wiggling on their chair, any coherent words reduced to whining growls. Honey doubted they’d make for dinner conversation much.

As quickly as Leader filled their plates, the noodles and the sauce covering them was shoved down their throats. Honey was half surprised they had enough restrain to not just eat the plate altogether. He had to remind himself even though they were still Horror bitties, they weren’t feral.

Leader came to stand beside Honey and they both watched on with reserved astonishment as the bitties hummed and licked their plates clean. Any splatter that may have gotten on the table was lapped at too. As he watched on, Honey let the question form in his mouth.

“So, each has a number, right? But it’s not their name?”

“THE NUMBERS ARE RANK, AND THEY ARE CALLED BY THEIR RANK OVER THE WEEK. ON SUNDAYS, WE UPDATE THE STATS, AND IF THE RANK CHANGES, THEY SWITCH THEIR BRACERS.” After a second of thinking, he added, “BUT THE RANKS CHANGE SO RARELY, IT HAS BASICALLY BECOME WHAT THEY REFER THEMSELVES AS.”

“I see…” Honey pondered. So that’s why Fox had referred to Number six and number One as Liten and Sterk. “What happened to number 3?” He asked, eyeing each number on the bracers.

Number Two chuckled from the table, the large eyelight in his left socket zeroed in on their guest as he scratched the scar on his other socket. “Wouldn’t _you_ like to know~ Perhaps he’s watching you right now, waiting for you to drop your guard so he can-”

“OH STOP IT WITH THE UNSAVORY SCHEMING TRICKERY. THERE WAS NEVER A NUMBER 3, YOU DERANGED DOLTS!”

“Awww Boss!!” a chorus of whines erupted from the lot. “Why’d you have to tell him?” “The one time we could do that joke!” 

Honey burst into laughter and their dejected faces turned a little less dejected. Now that he had the certitude he was not going to be on the menu, he was starting to find the dark jokes kind of entertaining. The fact that there was this hidden side to their world, where bitties worked and lived in parallel to the world below was fascinating to him.

“So tell me how this thing works, what was that I heard about ‘catch points’?”

Leader picked up all the plates and made his way to a large sink at the back of the kitchen. He dropped the pot and plates in and talked over the noise of the water rushing out of the faucet.

“BITTIES HAVE NO NEED FOR MONEY. AS LONG AS WE ARE PROVIDED FOR, WE CAN SURVIVE. THE COMPANY PROVIDED US WITH ON LOCATION COMMODITIES, AND IF WE WANT SOMETHING ADDED, WE CAN PUT IN A REQUEST.”

“What about the point then?” Honey asked, trying to wrap his head around the concept.

“What’s it to you?” grunted number Two as he stopped dragging another bean bag on the other side of the room. He leered apprehensively at Honey with his single eyelight. “You plan ‘n usin’ this? Wanna steal our job?”

“Oh stars no. I don’t have the _stomach_ for it,” Honey replied, and there was a round of amused chuckle.

Something bumped against his right side and Honey glanced down to see the top of a hooded skull leaning against him in the bean bag. Number Five lifted his face toward him, a clever grin on his face.

“Points are for food,” the bitty stated, answering his previous question. 

“And ranking!” Added Number One, still at the table. Concentrated on scratching one of the claw marks on the table, then licking his finger. “I have best rankin’ since last year!” 

“Yeah, Number One is _number one_ at catching big stuff,” commented Six from his spot near the counter. Honey noted there seemed to be an invisible line they weren’t allowed to cross in the kitchen, but the bitty was sitting right at the edge of said line, staying as close as he could to Leader.

“Bigger is always better.” Honey huffed as a second weight pressed on his left side this time. Number Four had draped himself over his arm, a lecherous grin on his face as he looked up at the bitty in his grasp. “You’re living proof of that, mister 500 points~!”

With a nervous laugh, Honey untangled himself from Number Four and quickly tried to change the subject. “You can’t tell me you only eat what you catch in the warehouse.”

“OF COURSE NOT! THOSE ARE BUT EXTRAS OR RESERVES FOR HARSHER TIMES. STARS KNOWS THESE DRAFTSACKS CAN NEVER GET THEIR FILL.” Leader yelled from the kitchen. “WE EXCHANGE ACCUMULATED POINTS FOR ACTUAL GROCERY AND SPICES. YOU TRY MAKING A CURSED PIGEON TASTE GOOD WITHOUT SPICES.”

“Skully also asks for a bottle of Brandy once a while,” piped in Number Six, smiling innocently.

“Really?” Honey raised a cheeky brow bone at the Boss bitty.

“I-IT’S FOR THE SAUCE!” 

“Sure it is, Skully~” Honey replied with a laugh that was soon echoed by the two bitties he was sandwiched between.

“We do still eat our catches,” Four whispered next to his head, walking two finger up Honey’s arm. “Sometimes a _quick snack_ in between meals.” Honey tried his best to ignore him, but it was getting harder and harder by the minute… wait no! He didn’t mean it like that!

He was saved by Leader grabbing the clingy bitty by the scruff of his hood and plopping him on the couch before sitting next to him. Four instantly switched target and leaned comfortably against the edgy bitty, who looked somewhat satisfied despite his grumbling. Number Six padded across the room and plopped himself over the couch’s arm, his skull landing less than an inch from Leader’s hips. 

“We usu’lly get insects, mice, sometimes pigeons,” the small bitty counted on his fingers, rocking his legs against the armrest. 

“Caught a Hawk once,” One said proudly.

“Yeah,” Six chimed him, a vaguely drooling grin on his face as he remembered. “Had sum fri’d food dat night.”

Honey blinked, looking at the bitties around him. “You… you ate the hawk?”

“DON’T BE RIDICULOUS, HAWKS ARE FEDERALLY PROTECTED BY LAW. WE HAD TO SURRENDER IT TO THE AUTHORITIES. HOWEVER, THEY GAVE US A BONUS FOR CATCHING IT UNHARMED.”

“Yeah, they got us fried chick’n instead, no charge too!” The smallest bitty threw an approving fist in the air. 

“Close second,” Five shrugged against him.

“Best meal is a free meal,” Four added, licking his fingers. 

“I’m not sure if I should be impressed or disgusted right now…”

There was a round of amused chortles, even from Number Two who was busying himself inspecting the tip of the permanent marker that never seemed to leave his side.

Six curled up to Leader’s side and whined softly, “Can we stop talking ‘bout food? I’m starting to get hungry ‘gain.”

“DON’T BE RIDICULOUS, YOU JUST ATE!” the tall bitty retorted. He then snaked an arm over the backrest of the couch, letting his hand hang low enough to pet the small one’s head. Six let out a soft mewl, his eyelights getting a little fuzzy before he closed his sockets.

“I have to say, I’m really impressed,” Honey commented, watching the bitty seemingly fall asleep. “I always hear about how bitties have to be adopted and rely on a caretaker, but you guys seem to be doing just fine with just each other.”

“YES WELL…” The bitty paused, looking around at his fellow crew members. “IT TOOK TIME.” Then, as if shaking off stray thoughts, he continued. “WE’LL ALWAYS BE RELIANT ON THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY. IF THEY EVER CLOSE UP SHOP, WE’LL HAVE TO FIND MONSTERS OR HUMAN ADOPTERS LEST WE WANT TO END UP IN THE WILD. SPEAKING OF WHICH, ABOUT YOUR HUMAN...”

Honey sat up so quick he barely knocked Five off the bean bag. “Oh crap, you’re right! I should be heading back.” He internally berated himself for getting carried away. How could he have forgotten? “If my q-human comes back and I’m not in the conference room, she’s going to freak.”

Leader continued to pet Six’s head calmly. “YES WELL… I’M SURE SHE WILL GET OVER THE LOSS EVENTUALLY.”

“...what?” Honey’s sockets widened in confusion.

“DID YOU REALLY THINK, AFTER SHOWING YOU ALL THIS,” the bitty calmly motioned the room around them, “AND AFTER MENTIONING THIS WAS A SECRET DEPARTMENT, I WOULD SIMPLY LET YOU GO FREE?” .

“Wait what?” Honey stood up, slowly backing toward the door.

Without haste, the Boss bitty uncrossed his legs and stood up, making the small bitty at his side open his sockets. He took a few long strides in his direction, face dark with intent, hands hiding behind his back. When he spoke again, his voice was calm but far from reassuring.

“I’M AFRAID YOU NOW KNOW TOO MUCH, HONEY BEE.”

“Woah, Skully, hold on a second, I didn’t ask to know all this, I can’t just-” Honey protested. With a quick glance to the door, he saw Five was now standing in the way, blocking his exit. He backed up against the wall. Leader loomed over him, his towering form blocking the light. Honey stared aghast at him. 

“IDIOT, I’M JAPING YOU.”

“… huh?”

Several howls of laughter filled the room. One was actually gripping his sides while Six rolled on the couch, kicking his tiny feet as he doubled over. The Boss bitty straightened back up, pride and amused mockery shining in his sockets.

“ONE DOES NOT HANG AROUND HORROR BITTIES ALL DAY WITHOUT PICKING UP _SOME_ SENSE OF HUMOR.”

“he… he... nyehehe, stars... you got me.” Honey chuckled nervously, wiping the sweat off his skull.

“NYEHEHE,” He laughed, then suddenly slammed his hand on the wall next to Honey’s head, making him tense again. Leader glared menacingly down at Honey. “SERIOUSLY THOUGH. DON'T TELL ANYONE.”

Honey gulped. “Got it.”

Leader narrowed his eyes at him.

“um... Got it… Sir?”

“GOOD.” The imposing bitty stepped back, turning around to sit back on the couch. He crossed his legs again and waved a dismissing hand. “NOW BE ON YOUR WAY, I HAVE A REPORT TO FILE AND POINTS TO ADD TO ONE’S SHEET. FIVE WILL ESCORT YOU OUT.”

The mentioned bitty snickered. “I dunno _Sir_ , maybe he’d prefer Four?” From the corner of his socket, Honey saw Number Four wink suggestively at him.

“Nope! Five’s awesome, love the guy. Where’s my bro at, hahaha! Honey quickly hooked an arm around the hooded bitty, causing a round of raspy giggles and an exaggerated whine from the rejected bitty on the couch. Without wasting another moment, Honey waved the group goodbye and dragged the smaller bitty out with him.

***

Honey still couldn’t completely wrap his head around such a network operating without the notice of any of the employees working down below. He let himself be guided through the maze-like series of tunnels, shafts and conduits that ran across the warehouse, making small talk with the hooded bitty. Part of him really hoped Five was not trying to purposely get him lost, just to prolong the fun of having an unsecure guest trailing behind him. But so far, he seemed to be genuinely showing him the way out, even commenting on some fun facts about the history of the warehouse and it’s construction. Upon arriving at an intersection, Honey paused to look at a scribbling on the wall. It was barely visible in the dark, but he could just make out the letters forming the phrase ‘it _roached_ its end’, along with an approximate doodle of what he assumed was a cockroach getting stabbed with a bone. Five stood next to him, checking out the scribble.

“Heh… good one,” he snorted, then tapped Honey’s shoulder to motion him to move on.

They came across a few more scribbling, ‘gonna _axe_ you to move on’, ‘Don’t stare in the abyss or it’ll look _black’_ , ‘ _Boo-oo_ , said the crying ghost’ , ‘if you need to _vent,_ do it, in the _shaft_ ’ and so many more he recognized as puns that had been thrown at him throughout the day. 

“Two likes to write these whenever they pop in his mind,” Five explain as they looked at a ‘I’d be _delighted_ to break you, but Boss would knock my _head lights_ out’ scribbled on top of one of the light fixtures.

“Didn’t think him to be such a poet,” Honey chuckled before following the bitty off the catwalk.

“I’ll tell him you said that.”

“Please don’t.”

They continued their way down, and Honey could tell they were now on top of the offices, the muted sounds of phones and conversation coming through the walls. After a while, Five seem to hesitate for a moment.

“You said your human had a big meeting, right?” he asked, fingers pensively scratching at the hole on his head.

“Yeah, sounded like a big deal,” Honey confirmed.

The other bitty tilted his head back, a savvy look in his eyelight. “Wanna check it out?”

  
  


***

  
  


After back tracking a bit, Honey followed the bitty and dropped onto what he supposed were the railing of a suspended ceiling. The leading skeleton sneaked his way on top of the railing and put a finger to his teeth, telling him to be quiet. Below them, Honey could hear voices talking calmly. He carefully stepped on the railing and crouched next to the other, waiting. Using a summoned bone as lever, Five lifted a pre cut corner of one of the panels. it was large enough for the both of them to peer inside.

In the conference room below, he could see about 10 people sitting around a large wooden table. There were documents scattered around several paper cups and mugs alike and people were talking quiet notes as they listened to the person who was talking.

“The numbers show that consumers see shorter warranty coverage as a sign of the product's low quality. To show you an example, you’ll find here a brand we stopped distributing last spring because of several complaints regarding-” 

Honey smiled softly at his Queen’s composed and self-assured tone. He could see her, flipping through the document she had prepared to demonstrate her point and the others nodded in agreement, seconding her point and making various comments to further strengthen her example. A feeling of pride swelled up in his soul. She was amazing. His human, his Queen, was amazing.

“She the one?” Five whispered, pointing to the woman below.

“Yeah… she’s the one.” Honey answered, looking lovingly at her. 

“Ain’t she a tasty looking treat,” the other commented, smirking.

Honey frowned and gave him a hard glare. “Back off pal.”

Five chuckled quietly and hooded his sockets, “Aww, come on, just a nibble?” 

“Wha-No!” Honey whispered harshly, not wanting to attract attention. “Why would you think it’s even an option?”

Five let out another chuckle and looked back down at the people below. “I’m kidding, pal. She’s ok. For a human,” he added, tugging at the right hole in his head.

Honey wanted to retort that she was more than ok! She was fabulous, and kind, and beautiful, and smart, and sexy… He stopped himself when he caught the knowing look the bitty was giving him. 

There was the sound of moving chairs below and Five quietly lowered the panel back in place.

“I think they’re done, we better skedaddle.”

Honey nodded and followed the bitty back the way they came from.

  
  


***

When his Queen opened the door to the conference room, she looked exhausted but happy. She found her bitty surrounded by both the cats, a surprising sight if the look on her face was anything to go by. Prince was even licking the side of his skull, purring like a lawn mower while Honey tried not to laugh at being tickled by the raspy tongue. 

She did look a little concerned when she saw the dust on his clothes, but he waved it off by telling her he had laid on the floor too much and the carpet was dusty. Not a lie technically. 

As she packed the cat’s stuff and their carrier, Honey looked back at the vent grate. A single deep colored eyelight stared back at him. He could barely make out the pale outline of a skeletal face, a finger to his teeth in a quiet reminder to watch his words making him smirk. He raised a thumb at the figure before it disappeared in the shadow of the vent.

Today had been quite the adventure, but he couldn’t wait to get home and learn all about _her_ day.

  
  
  
  
  


***********************

*********************

**************

**********

******

***

*

BONUS!

DOUBLE BONUS!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew!!
> 
> So .. much.. dialogues!!!  
> I hope you had fun with my little crew.  
> I've had these guys in my head since beginning of July, and the more I thought about it, the more they took shape.  
> They probably deserve their own fic and I barely scratched the surface of what they are and do, but I wonder what you guys got out of it all ;)
> 
> ****  
> Also, still compiling votes regarding which type of narrative you would prefer Queen Bee's POV to be:
> 
> first person : "... I walked into the field."  
> second person : "... you walked into the field."  
> third person : "... she walked into the field."


	22. My Peaceful Honey Bee ~ *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey learns to appreciate what he has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Thank you for all the love you are giving this fic!  
> I love reading your comments ( and replying),  
> and the kudos are rays of sunshine in my day!
> 
> There is little bit of naughty bitty in the second part, but nothing outrageous, so only one '*'.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!

My peaceful Honey Bee

  
  


“So then, he asked me if I had heard about the proposal and I looked at him with the most serious, confused face I could manage and said: ‘I thought Leo was already married.’”

They both started laughing, maybe a little more than they would usually do, but the evening had been a delightful one, filled with good food, good jokes, and best of all, good company.

With the stress of her meeting and the whole exterminator ordeal done, and after everything and everyone was back where they belonged, their entire little clan had settled back into a pleasant routine. The two of them had managed to go back to their more natural dynamic too. It had taken a couple of weeks, but they had managed to return to being able to sit together, talk and joke like they did in the past and even cuddle a little bit, just like they were now.

He had had to ask himself some serious questions. He was still feeling bad about letting himself get so depressed over her reaction to his feelings. He had gone overboard, even he could see it. It wasn’t as if she had straight up rejected him, and obviously, she still loved him in some way. No it was more like she had not even considered the possibility of anyone, her own bitty even less, to have feelings, love, desire for her; it was something she needed time to come to term with. He could sometimes catch her looking at him with a strange look on her face. When he had asked her what she was thinking about, she had looked even more confused and had said ‘I don’t know’ before brushing it off. 

Honey had given up trying to read her soul. It was uselessly complicated, and because it didn’t come naturally to his type, it created more misunderstandings than it helped her. What purpose was there to him knowing what she felt, when she could not even process most of her own feelings. It was like cheating at a card game against someone who didn’t even know the rules. It may have been useful to him a year ago, when he didn’t trust any human and felt safer to have a gage of their intentions without them knowing, but he should have stopped when he had found his Queen. He kind of had cheated his way through the ‘get to know each other’ phase back then. But he was starting anew. Now, instead, he focused on asking her more questions and helping her be more open with her feelings and thoughts. It was still a work in progress and most of the time, she still kept silent about things that plagued her mind; If it was because she didn’t want to share or because she couldn’t find the words to express them was still up for debate.

The obnoxiously louder volume of the commercial break brought him back to the present. With a small complacent grunt, he shifted in place to adjust his position. 

They were watching TV, sunk comfortably into an excessive amount of pillows and basically spooning, as he liked to think, under a soft fleece blanket. His back was comfortably pressed against her front, skull cushioned against her breasts, the soft blanket covering them both while she had her free hand draped over him like a weighted comforter. Tonight, They had settled for a quiet, relaxing evening, watching some brain numbing shows while they joked, laughed and basically reveled in each other’s comfortable presence. It was simplicity at its best.

He could feel a steady amount of magic flowing through him through the proximity, like an open tap refilling the hot water in a lukewarm bath. If he ever was concerned about not getting enough energy now that she had cut back on their transfer through kissing - they had both agreed it was just adding to the confusion, even if Honey really missed it - he didn’t have to worry. Now that he was listening to her more, and she was being more open with her thoughts, the bitty link was more effective than ever. It should have disappointed him but on the other hand, it opened more opportunities for moments like these. He had never thought he could actually feel the bitty link so much. Some bitties he had talked to in the past had told him about the bitty link and the soul bond and how the second one was so much deeper than the first, but he had never figured the bitty link could feel this nice. 

Link or bond, it didn’t matter, Honey was happy.

Kind of...

Yeah no, he was.

Like… maybe he kind of, possibly, sometimes, wished they were bonded... 

No. They were good as is.

But maybe if- 

Kind fingers slipped in the back of his exposed neck to slowly stroke the back of his cervical and Honey let out a soft unconscious purr, sockets closing as his previous train of thought was forgotten, washed away by the sweet warmth of her fingers massaging his bones. He didn’t know why, but sometimes he had the feeling SHE was the one reading his soul, often catching him off guard with light touches when his mind was starting to wander in the _ if only _ territory. He had to remind himself, it was more an unconscious motion sparking from her soothing reflexes and that he shouldn’t read too much into it, but it usually ground him back into the present, reminding him how lucky he was to even have her by his side. More than anything, he was grateful for that.

For a moment, all that could be heard was the sound coming from the tv, suspenseful music playing as the latest contestant presented his dish to the judges. When had they started watching cooking shows? Perhaps it was because this one had a Muffet bitty as a judge. He heard her hum behind him.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked lazily, melting some more into the couch as she gently pinched his top cervicals.

“How overdramatic these things are.”

He chuckled softly. “Does it make you want to cook?”

“You know I’m not that really good at cooking.”

“You don’t hear me complaining,” he commented, leaning into her touch a little more. “What you make always turns out good.” He paused, smirking over his shoulder before adding, “Except maybe that first time you tried to make chili. That was a pasty mistake.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t know you were supposed to rinse off the canned beans first!”

“Right, not like the recipe mentioned it,” he teased back. It had totally been written on the recipe, she had just forgotten to read that part.

She laughed again and poked his skull lightly in reprimand. “Maybe we should go to a fancy restaurant one of these days, so you can raise that expectation bar a little more.”

“Any food is good food with the right company.”

“You’re right.” She hummed for a second. “Maybe I should go with Vivi instead.”

Honey faked shocked indignation before they both cracked into laughter again.

“ _ Dearie, all the magic in the world wouldn’t be able to absorb this ridiculous excuse of a Crostata! _ ” The Muffet on the screen huffed, crossing her several little arms in front of her, another pushing the dessert away with disdain.

“Sick burn,” commented Honey.

“Like that tart: It’s literally scorched! They’re professional cooks, how is that not staged?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s a totally legit mistake,” Honey added with a roll of his eyelights.

And so the evening went on, both of them giggling at the judge's dramatic rants until they fell asleep on the couch.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Honey, did you... wash the mugs from this morning?”

Honey looked up from the top 40 most ridiculous newspaper headlines he was scrolling through on her computer to look at her. She was standing next to the kitchen sink, blankly staring at the two mugs they had used this very morning, which were now washed and dry in the drying rack. She looked back to him, visibly confused.

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged, turning his attention back to the screen in front of him. “Statistics show teen pregnancy drops off significantly after the age 25. Wow, no kidding?”

“Why?”

“Pretty sure, once you’re twenty, you don’t count as a teen anymore.”

“What? No! I meant the mugs!”

“Oh,” Honey replied, scratching his cheekbone before shrugging again. “No reason, I just felt like it.”

She stared at him some more, then suspiciously glanced around, as if looking for something broken or missing or perhaps a hidden camera. When she didn’t find anything out of place, she slowly nodded. “Ok… that’s a nice surprise. Thank you Honey Bee.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied without looking away from the screen. He waited for a few seconds, then side-glanced to make sure she had left to change out of her work clothes in her room before dragging a hand down his face with a sigh, his cheekbones flushing slightly.

_ 18 hours earlier… _

It was a light breeze that woke him with a slight shiver. Somehow, he had managed to slip from his spot on top of her stomach in his sleep. He stretched, his spine popping into place after having slept in an awkward position, his lower half still propped on her side, while the rest of him had twisted half way to rest on the mattress. He also noted the covers had shifted, probably as she had moved in her sleep to only cover her lower half, which explained the light chill that had woken him.

He sleepily rubbed his socket, retrieving his legs from their  propped  position and got up to go back to his usual spot on top of her when he froze.

Not only had she managed to push the covers off her, her night shirt had also ridden up, all the way up to her shoulder, revealing one of her breasts completely and the other partially. He idly wondered how she wasn’t cold.

‘Well... maybe she is…’ he mentally commented as he spotted the hardened nipple staring at him.

It topped the mount of her breast, like a plump cherry on a Sunday, sitting in the middle of the darker toned areola. It was inviting, the perfect size to roll on his tongue with a taste he knew would be just as sweet. He shook the thoughts out of his mind.

Of course, he'd seen her bare breasts before, but the last time, he had been a bit too distracted to really take them in fully. Plus, he didn't want to openly stare… not while she was looking anyway.

But he couldn’t help it right now. 

She had tucked an arm under her pillow, face nuzzled in what would be the crook of her elbow. Her other hand rested on her exposed stomach, exactly where he would have been laying before slipping off. Her fingers twitched lightly, as if searching for something in her sleep. When all they met was air, she whined and shifted, turning her face the other way and exposing her throat to him. Her hand lazily trailed up her side and Honey followed it as it snaked up her night shirt, pulling it above her other breast in the process, to scratch a spot over her sternum. The hand limply fell back to her side, leaving her chest completely exposed.

‘Well now you’re just being mean,’ he thought with a resigned sigh.

He climbed back on top of her, stretching up to grab the hem of the shirt and pull it back down over her chest. It was almost sad to, but if he couldn’t trust himself not to have dirty thoughts, it was better that way. He watched her sleeping face across the valley of her breasts now covered again with a light blue veil of comfortable cotton before laying back down, skull prompt on one of the soft mounts, arms and legs spread on her sides. He pressed his ear hole to her chest, listening to the steady beat of her heart. From his position, he could still see her nipple stretching the fabric of the shirt, like a ripple on the fabric. His hand came up, lazy and slow, tracing her underboob, smoothing out the fabric in its wake. When it came to the top of her breast, his phalanges caught on the little bundle of flesh and with what he wanted to be good intentions, he covered the perked little mount with his hand, maybe, possibly, trying to warm up the flesh so it would settle down. 

He knew about how the cold made nipples hard, that it wasn’t always a sign of excitement. Hell, with the number of puns and jokes he had thrown at her about it last winter, it’d be weird if he didn’t know. It was a strange concept to him though. His mind sometimes wandered, thinking about how on a fundamental basis, she and he weren’t so different, both having a skeleton and all, but he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have skin. He could feel everything just fine with his bare bones. Even now, he could feel the little knob of hardened flesh rub back against the bony palm of his hand. Each time he stroked it or flicked it gently, he could feel it harden a little more. The human body had so many involuntary reactions, not to mention the whole breathing and digesting process, but even the flesh was acting on its own, pushing back against his phalanges.

As if hypnotized by the movement of his own hand, he continued to gently press it with his fingers, his palm, slipping the bud between his phalanges until it rolled under his hand. He repeatedly pressed on it, smoothing out the fabric, and watched absentmindedly as it perked right back up like a cute little spring. It was amazing how the tip was getting so hard, and yet the surrounding area was remaining soft and malleable. He could drag his hand up, cupping part of her breast in his hand and feel how squishy it was, but then, pinched the nipple between his thumb and index and-

“Mmmnh~!”

Honey froze, sockets suddenly wide open, staring at his hand where his fingers were still pulling on her nipple. Slowly, he turned his head up toward her face.

She was still sleeping, her head turned the other way, her breathing steady and relaxed. The beating of her heart hadn’t changed either, but she had definitely moaned. Carefully, Honey let go of her nipple, retrieving his hand and tucking it back under him as if it had a mind of its own and if he didn’t, it would reach out and fondle her again. Because that was what he was doing. He had totally been groping her while she was asleep. He had not even meant to! He was just lost in thoughts and his hand…

He glanced at her face again. No changes, no movement, she was definitely still sleeping.

She had liked it though, no? That's why she had moaned, right? Were her breasts that sensitive? Was it the cupping of her breast, or the pinching that had made her make that sound? Could he perhaps hear it again, just to make sure?

Honey clenched his hands under his sternum. No! Bad hands! No more!

He laid back his skull against her sternum, suddenly more aware than ever that this spot was just above where her soul was. Honey forced himself to take a long and deep breath, relaxing his entire tense body upon exhaling. His breath ran across the valley of her breasts, rolling up her throat to graze the locks of loose hair resting on the pillow around her face. They swayed slightly and a few goosebumps appeared on her neck. As if answering a voiceless call, her hand came up to drape over him, her thumb unconsciously stroking the back of his shoulder. Honey let out a sigh, both resigned and appreciative of the warmth. 

He pressed his teeth to her chest, just above her soul in a silent apology.

Maybe he could make it up to her later.

  
  


* * *

_ Message from : QueenB [06:23 pm] _

_ I’m at the door, make sure your sockets are closed. _

Honey smiled at the screen, a lollipop clicking against the back of his teeth as he rolled it around. She was being cute again. He deliberately typed his answer slowly, knowing she was waiting at the door for his confirmation before unlocking it. 

_ Message from : HoneyB [06:25 pm] _

_ You got your hair cut before. Why is this time a surprise? _

_ Message from : QueenB [06:25 pm] _

_ You’ll see, now close your eyes and wait! _

He snickered, hearing the jingled sound of keys in the lock. He quickly shortcutted to the counter, obediently closing his sockets and slipping both his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, waiting.

He heard the door open slowly. He could easily picture her poking her head in.

“Not looking?” she called in the kitchen.

“Not a peep, you can  _ comb  _ in,” he called back.

There was the sound of steps coming in, the thud of her purse hitting the floor, the shuffling of fabric as he imagined her taking off her coat. Then she stopped. He could already smell the fresh aroma of the professional shampoo and product from the hairdresser. It wasn’t as pleasant as her usual shampoo, but it still smelled as entrancing, and he remembered the last time she had her hair cut, in the beginning of last spring, how soft her hair had been. She had let him run his phalanges in it for hours that day, giggling at his reaction and blushing at the compliment he made on her slightly shorter hair. He was far from a connoisseur, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate it. 

After a few more moments, she finally spoke up. “Ok, you can look.”

Honey opened his sockets with a smile but froze in place, sockets going wide and his jaw going slack with a breathless gasp, allowing the sucker to drop on the counter where it broke in half.

It was short. So very, very much shorter than the last time. It barely covered her ears, and he didn’t remember her hair being this curly. She usually had some natural and soft curves, but now, maybe because it was so much shorter, the coils were tighter and instead of delicately falling off her shoulders, they reached out in all directions. Maybe she had new bangs? but in all that mess, he really couldn’t tell. The general shape was weird and just didn’t fit with her face. But that wasn’t the worst part. No…

The worst part was the color.

He knew people could dye their hair different colors. Hell, there was this guy that adopted an Ink once who had rainbow hair, and it was great. But…

“Why… yellow?” he heard himself ask out loud and he could hear the concern in his own voice. It wasn’t even a nice shade of yellow, like a pronounced blond color or a warm sunflower yellow, it was practically neon with maybe a smidge of green in it? Yet it looked so bright, he wouldn’t be surprised if they turned off the light and it glowed in the dark.

She smiled proudly at him. “It’s neat, isn’t it? The girl said it brought out the color of my eyes.” She blink purposefully at him to show her point.

Oh it did bring out her eyes, but not in a nice way! The bright color of the locks darkened her gaze so much, her irises almost looked completely black compared to their usually lighter color. That hairdresser needed to be fired!

Honey couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Why was she happy with this?! How could she look so pleased with this result! He dragged a hand over his skull, trying to force his jaw to close, staring unblinking at the display before him. He was at a loss for words and so confused and distraught and-

‘What do I even say!?’ he thought alarmingly. He could feel a film of nervous sweat forming on his skull.

She looked so happy; he couldn’t tell her how he hated every part of it, but he couldn’t lie to her either. Besides, he didn’t think he could say it with a straight face. He had to say something though.

“D-do  _ you  _ like it?” he asked hesitantly.

“I love it!” she replied, running her fingers through the tight offensive curls. “I think I saw a few heads turn on the way home.”

“I bet they did…” 

“Do you like it?”

Honey flinched back at her sudden proximity. She had moved closer, waiting for his answer with a little light shining in her eyes he could only assume was expectation. Even her normally gentle smile was warped into a grin by this horrible new look. Overall, she kind of looked like an evil clown without its makeup on.

“I’m… kind of at a loss for words  _ hair… _ ” he was cringing so hard, he had to force the words out. 

She leaned away, a hand going to her chest as if she was wounded. “Are you saying, you don’t like my new look?”

She pouted at him, but her face quickly turned red and Honey was just about to apologize and tell her she was wonderful no matter what her hair was like, when she doubled down, unable to keep a straight face and started laughing so hard she was crying. Honey stared confused at her.

“Oh my - ha ha ha ha! Oh your face! Ha ha ha!” she wheezed in between laughers. “I’m so sorry Honey, but you should have seen your face!”

Honey blinked twice, frozen in incomprehension on the counter. That is, until she grabbed the back of her hair and pulled off the yellow wig off her head. Her natural hair came flowing out, releasing a wave of fruity fresh aroma. The wavy curves elegantly bounced off her shoulders and she gave her head a shake for good measure before turning to him again, some of the shorter locks tickling her rosy cheeks. All traces of evil clown gone and replaced by the grinning smile of a mischievous woman.

“Oh thank the stars.” Honey let out a loud sigh, slapping a hand on his face. 

“I got you!” She complimented her victory pose with two finger guns pointing at him. She was definitely very proud of herself.

“You did,” he admitted, too relieved to feign otherwise. He dragged his hand down and gave her an amused yet reprobating look. “I thought you had lost your mind.” 

His vision was quickly blocked as she dropped the wig on his skull. Of course it was 5 times too big for him and he practically had to fight his way out of it, while she doubled down in laughter again. He felt a pressure on top of his skull, but before he could find a way past the locks, it was gone. Finally throwing the wig off of him, he looked up to find his Queen, leaning happily on the counter. Honey smiled up at her and reached up, opening and closing his hands to motion her to come closer. She seemed to understand immediately and bent down a little more, turning her head so he could grab a large lock of hair. He nuzzled into it without shame, hugging the strands and feeling the softness of fresh masterly cleaned hair between his phalanges, humming as he smelled the wonderful shampoo.

She let out a little giggle when he purred out a compliment and she scooped him up, setting him up on her shoulder so he could touch her hair more while she moved around, placing her coat on a hanger on the back of the front door.

Part of him knew letting him be so close and indulging his love of her hair was her way of apologizing for the joke. She didn’t need to, it had been a good one, but he was not going to complain. He discreetly covered the side of her head with silent skeleton kisses, ever so grateful to have this wonderful, beautiful and funny woman in his life. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!
> 
> What did you think of this chapter?
> 
> Are you ready for the next rollercoaster?  
> Nyehehehehe
> 
> See you soon~!


	23. My Jelly Honey Bee ~ **

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queen Bee goes on a date and Honey is not happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome welcome my lovelies  
> to one of my favorite chapters~!
> 
> It's been written and waiting around for the story to progress for SIX MONTHS!  
> (Although I did some editing to match up the updated version of the story)
> 
> mind the smut lvl (**)
> 
> Again, a HUGE thank you for sticking with this fic for so long!  
> All your comments and kudos give me life~<3

My Jelly Honey Bee

Honey almost dropped the cookie he was holding.

  
  


“A... blind date?”

  
  


He stared at his human in wild incomprehension. Sitting on the edge of the bathroom counter, he watched her brush her hair and tie it into a messy bun on the top of her head.

“It’s just dinner and a movie. Plus, technically, it’s a semi-blind date,” she clarified. “He’s my coworker’s cousin. So not a complete stranger.”

His brow bones furrowed further. “But you’ve never met him.” She looked to the left and shook her head slightly before returning her attention to the mirror to apply some more eyeshadow. The cookie cracked in his grip. “So it  _ is _ a blind date! How am I just learning about this?”

She blinked at herself in the mirror, making sure the color was evenly spread. 

"It was a last minute thing."

Apparently satisfied, she reached for her eyeliner but paused when it moved away from her. She turned half way to look at him.

“Honey, please. I don’t want to be late.”

And  _ he _ didn’t want her to go. 

The thought of some random guy taking her out for dinner then trapping her in a dark room to see a movie irked him. This was everything she hated. Meeting strangers, small talk, loud public meeting places, social pressure, everything that played with her insecurity in general. Why had she agreed to this?

“What if he’s a creep?”

As soon as the words passed his teeth, he regretted them. Her eyes lowered to the sink, visible anxious thoughts invading her mind. He smacked himself. He had just pushed her into a ‘what if’ tornado. Stupid, stupid bitty.

“Then I can… tell him I’m not interested,” she finally said, her eyes still downcast. She was visibly forcing herself to push the dark thoughts aside. “Not the end of the world.”

He watched as she resumed her preparations. The makeup was colorful yet distinguished, the dress she had picked could be called a typical little black dress, but the cut favored her curves, accentuating the line of her waist and hips. She had opted to cover her shoulders with a bright lavender colored vest and had even put a light purple flower in her hair. She was beautiful... and she was leaving to meet another man. He grumbled to himself.

She popped her lips, now covered with a dark shade of burgundy red and checked if she had made any smudges. He was used to her putting on a bit of makeup when she went out for work or with friends, or even just to go to the store with him, but this was another level. This was a  _ game-on _ level. Wasn’t she happy with their life? their little routine? She had both her cats and him to cuddle with whenever she wanted, why would she need another man in her life?

She trotted over to her desk to grab her phone and wallet. Then, after checking the time, she made her way back to the bathroom where her bitty was still sitting on the counter, sulking at her, and plopped a sweet kiss on his skull. 

“There is food ready for you in the fridge whenever you’re hungry, be sure to eat it. I should be back by 11pm. If there is any emergencies -”

“Beside me missing you too much?”

She froze, her lips pursed into a surprised smile, then let out a small laugh. “Oh come on, it’s just a few hours, you’ll survive. You remember my number?”

He let out a resigned sigh. Of course he did. He had learned it by heart way back when she had brought up her anxiety over something happening to him while she was away. It was a small thing, but if it could her mind at ease… 

He pointed to the side of his skull with a nod, “Got it memorized?”

She blinked at him. “Was that a Kingdom Heart reference?”

“...” he looked to the side. “Maybe.”

She shook her head with a smile and turned around to grab her keys. She slipped on her favorite shoes and grabbed her purse, twirling around at the last second before opening the door and stepping out.

“Alright, be nice everyone, I love you!”

And the door closed. And the lock clicked. And she was gone.

"Love you too…"

  
  
  


***

7: 18 pm.

2 more minutes had passed since last he checked the clock.

After eating, Honey had sat on the couch, the tv playing some random show he had already seen, only serving as a useless distraction as he waited for the minutes to pass. He slouched a little more, inching closer and closer to an actual horizontal position every time he did before sitting back straight again and doing it all over. 

By now, she would have met that man. They would have ordered their food and be well on their way to dessert. What restaurant did they go to? What did they order? Did the jerk order for her? or had passed some comment on her choice? Did he make her feel uncomfortable? or even worse, did he make her feel  _ comfortable _ ?

He grunted to himself. Stupid cousin, stupid coworker, stupid date. They could be watching a movie right here if they wanted, they didn’t even have to go out. They didn’t have to walk on sticky theater floors or have dumb people coughing in their back at the worst time. They could have a date right here! 

He blinked as a sudden thought crossed his mind.

What if she brought the man home?

Sweat started to pearl on the side of his skull. This was a possibility, right? Maybe not tonight, but someday, if she kept going on dates, one day she could bring one home to…

He shook his head vigorously, fighting with himself to get the images out of his mind. She was a grown woman, she could do what she wanted, with whoever she wanted.

But why not him?

_ ‘Not this again!’  _

He grabbed the remote and smashed the power button. The room being dark and silent again, he moved to the computer and booted it up. He had to keep himself distracted. Every time he started thinking about how he wanted her to be more than what she was, he just grew more frustrated or downright depressed. 

The computer chimed and the artful desktop background greeted him. He paused for a moment. He didn’t know what he wanted to do. He couldn’t focus on anything else than his Queen, her arms wrapped around the neck of… some man! Just watching videos or a movie wouldn’t work, he had to do something, anything. 

His mind drew a blank. He glanced at the clock at the bottom of the screen.

7:23 pm

“Fuck!”

***

The bitty lazily clicked on the mousepad, dragging the card on the screen. Solitaire Freecell had been his go to when his mind had not let him decide on anything better to do. It had been keeping his mind somewhat focused and distracted for a while now. Heck, he hadn’t even looked at the time in forever.

  
  


He glanced at the clock.

  
  


7:41 pm

  
  


“Are you kidding me?” he screamed, grabbing at his skull.

  
  


***

  
  


After another hour of playing more card games - he was getting rather good at this basic shit - Honey closed down the screen and leaned back in his chair on the desk. He had calmed down considerably. The main problem was he kept thinking about what would happen if his Queen  _ liked  _ her date in a way that was more profound than the way she liked her family, or roommates, or friend... or pets. 

She was a bundle of love, so of course she could have a blast with anyone, but that didn’t mean she would fall in love or anything. There were plenty of kinds of dates she could go on, and he didn’t have to always be there with her. She could have her own fun.

His Queen Bee was a kind, fun, caring, strong and independent woman. It would be wrong of him to try and suffocate her, just because he had a  _ little  _ trouble imagining his life without her constant presence at his side.

He had the sudden thought of sending her a message, wishing her a pleasant evening in good faith, if only just to prove to himself he was able to be happy for her to have some fun of her own.

He opened up the email account she had sent up for him and clicked on their usual chat link.

He blinked, looking at the message she had sent him about 20 minutes ago.

_ message from : QueenB [08:23 pm] _

_ Skipping the movie, going to go grab a drink instead _

He stared at the screen. He... had missed her message? He had been so focused on keeping his mind off her, he had actually missed the chance to talk to her. Wait, they were skipping the movie? Going drinking instead??

He leaned back, his mind reeling. This was good, right? This meant he wasn’t a creep, and she was having a good time, right? This was what he wanted, right? His fingers rushed to the keys, cursing the oversized keyboard as he typed his reply. Better late than never.

_ message From : HoneyB [08:41 pm] _

_ Sounds like fun. _

He looked at the text. Was that all he could think of? He rubbed his skull, grumbling to himself, then got typing again. He typed and deleted his next words over and over again. ‘So I take it he isn’t a creep?’... nope, don’t bring it up... ‘Don’t get too drunk’... ugh, patronizing... ‘miss you’… pause... delete...

_ message From : HoneyB [08:46 pm] _

_ Glad you seem to have a good time. _

Was that the best he could do? really? He sighed heavily. At least he was being supportive. The screen chimed with the notification of a new message and he stared at it, slightly confused.

_ message from : QueenB [08:48 pm] _

_ Everything good at home? _

He couldn’t help but smile. Even out on a date, she still worried about them. He smirked and typed another reply.

_ message From : HoneyB [08:50 pm] _

_ All is well captain! I haven’t burned down the place yet. _

The response was instantaneous.

_ message from : QueenB [08:50 pm] _

_ Lol _

_ message from : QueenB [08:50 pm] _

_ Thanks. At least I know I can count on you. _

He felt a prickle of pride in his soul. Maybe it was a good thing she had some fun out there without him. She would see he was somewhat independent himself and when she came home, it would only make it that much sweeter to have her back, and she could tell him all about her evening. He loved to hear her tell stories.

Yeah, this was good.

***

The keys jingled in the lock and Honey Bee sat up beside Prince. He had fallen asleep, curled up in his soft warm fur, the feline’s purring easing his troubled mind into a peaceful nap. When the door opened, he stretched and shortcutted to the counter to survey her arrival in the kitchen. When she took a step in, he could tell she had had quite a bit to drink.

She took an unsteady step in, hand on the wall for support. Her messy bun had shifted downward a few inches, disheveled locks escaping it to flow down the nap of her neck and lick at her shoulders. Her vest was a little crumpled, her lipstick was mostly gone and her eyeliner had started to smudge, just enough to give her eyes a smoky outline which actually gave her a very sexy négligé look overall.

She locked the door behind her and leaned on it, her eyes sluggishly moving up to meet his.

“Hello my handsome little man,” she sang when she saw him.

He chuckled. He had seen her tipsy before and she was a cute drunk. A very cuddly one too. With her inhibition gone, she would sometimes throw out the most hilarious jokes. Any other time, he would be teasing her, trying to bring out that fun bug in her but he knew it was late, and she did look tired. A night out drinking in town was different than a night drinking at home after all. She would need a good night of sleep and a slow pajama day tomorrow to recharge, at the very minimum. 

“Looks like someone had a good time,” he smirked at her. He ignored the pan of jealousy that tickled his soul. 

She gave him a strange smirk back and sluggishly blew him a kiss before shuffling her way in, heading to the bathroom to wipe the makeup off her face. He heard her grumble as she looked in the mirror, taking in the smudged makeup of her face, then took out a cleaning cloth and started scrubbing her face with over energetic swipes. That's when he noticed it.

Something was off with the happy emotions he could feel from her and any other day, he would have asked her about it, but being drunk and tired, he opted for an exceptional peeking read at her soul. She was giddy, but now that he was paying more attention, he noticed it was all surface level. As if there was a glass plate floating on top of the waters of her soul. Above the plate was all fun and giggles, but something dark was swimming underneath it. She was actively pushing it down, focusing on her inebriated merriness. 

This was… unusual.

When her face was back to being free of makeup, she grunted again and made her way into her room, falling face first into the mattress. Then again, maybe her sudden glum attitude was because she was just really tired?

He let out a light chuckle again and hopped down from the counter. He opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water and trotted back to the bedroom, hearing her shuffle off her dress. He walked across the room, making sure not to peek as she lazily unsnapped her bra and threw it on a pile of dirty clothes to put on a light tank top and a new pair of panties. She had no reserve changing while he was in the room, but he knew she didn’t like him staring. He had half a mind to do so anyway, given her tipsy state, but he resisted.

She slipped back under the bedsheets, laying on her back, an arm covering her eyes and let out a deep sigh. He dropped the water bottle on her nightstand and made his way across the bed, climbing carefully on her stomach to watch her. She took in another deep breath. He knew she was tired, but he was just too curious.

“So? How did your evening go? Did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “Loads of fun. I ate, I drank, I danced… loads of fun.”

His brows furrowed slightly. That tone didn’t really sound like she had fun. He could actually feel ripples of frustration coming off her, even without trying.

“How was he?” He knew he would probably regret inquiring about her date mate, but at this point, he just wanted to know why her feelings seemed so mixed. 

“I dunno…” she pursed her lips in a straight line.

“What do you mean, you don’t know. Was he nice or not?”

The hand of her arm covering her eye closed in a tight fist. Her chest rose with a deep but stuttering breath and Honey’s socket widened in shock when the first waves of rage rose from her chest.

“I. Don’t. Know,” she spelled out, her voice suddenly trembling with anger, “Because he never showed up!”

“He WHAT?” 

She threw her arm off her face, her fist slamming hard on the mattress. Her eyes were shining with repressed tears, her brows furrowed in frustrated anger.

“I waited for 45 minutes at that stupid restaurant, like a damn idiot. I texted my coworker, and she said he chickened out.”

Honey stared at her in shock. He had never seen that expression on her face. She was angry, insulted and frustrated. Her fist hit the mattress once more as she continued.

“He probably spotted me from a distance and ran away, not even bothering to make up an excuse or anything.” She looked away, then brought both her fists up to harshly rub at her eyes. “So I sat there and ordered a bottle of wine and three freaking desserts to eat... by myself! Must have looked like a fucking loser!”

“Why didn’t you just come home?” He continued to stare at her in incomprehension.

She threw her fists away from her face, sending them as far as she could to hit the bed. She stayed still a few seconds, arms spread wide like she was hanging on a cross, her eyes looking at the ceiling with an intensity that could have melted its paint off.

“Because this was my date night,” she finally answered. “I was gonna get out there, and meet people, and have fun, and nothing was going to stop me!”

Only shifting her face slightly, she looked down at him, anger still flaring out of her eyes, but they weren’t directed at him - thank the stars.

“So I went to the bar. I drank some more, I danced like I didn’t have a care in the world, thinking maybe if I looked fun and vulnerable enough, I’d find another date and this wouldn’t be so bad after all.” Her lips twisted into a pained expression, “but nobody came.”

Honey went to reach for her face, wanting to caress her cheek, but stopped himself. She needed to let this out. He could comfort her after, but she needed to vent out her frustration.

“I was a girl, alone, drunk in a freaking bar and not a damn guy made a move on me!” She cried out, humiliated tears gathering in her eyes. “Made myself an easy target, even for the sleaziest guy, and still no one even approached me!”

“You’re so strong my Queen, you must have looked untouchable to them.” 

“I don’t WANT to be untouchable!” she shouted, tears finally streaming down her cheeks. “I want people to love me! I want them to touch me! I want to be desirable! I’m tired of being the one people think she is okay by herself all the time! I want to fucking get laid once a while!”

The sudden thought of her actively trying to get taken advantage of out of desperation terrified him. This could have turned out so badly. She was lucky nothing happened. Why did she feel the need to go to that extent? He was right here.

He moved off her to gently hold her hand in his, stroking her fingers. He couldn’t find the words to comfort her, so he just listened. 

“I’m so tired of being the third wheel whenever I go out with my friends and their partner. Fucking tired of being that girl guys like, but won’t do anything to. Systematic friendzone material for shit! So fucking tired of being ‘that nice girl’.”

His fingers paused on her hand. He had never heard her curse so much, never seen her so angry. Perhaps the alcohol was playing a role in it, but fact remained she was feeling that rage to begin with. In a different setting, he would be reveling in the fact he got to see a new side of her, one she didn’t show other people, but seeing her sobbing face also pained him. He wanted to hold her, make the hurt go away. He wanted to show her she was indeed so desirable, it was driving him mad. If he could just…

His soul flared up with determination. It was as if his whole body was quaking, but instead of making him unsteady, it solidified his resolve.

“But you are a nice girl. A wonderful woman. A strong human,” he whispered. “And I would give anything to be with you. To give you what you so desperately wanted tonight.” 

Without thinking, he took a step forward, his hands grabbing the side of her jaw and he smashed his teeth against her trembling lips. Her eyes shot open with a surprised gasp, but soon closed and she gave in to the sweet contact. His fingers trailed softly down the line of her face, caressing her skin tenderly as he brought himself closer. It was so good to feel her lips against him once more. He had almost forgotten how soft they were, the plump texture , the firmness, the smell, the taste of her flesh. They were all coming back to him as if they had come from a lifetime ago, yet were familiar as if they had never left him. He nipped gently at her lips and she let out a whine, letting them part as a result, even if only slightly, and that was all he needed. With renewed vigor, he deepened the kiss, slipping his glowing tongue past her lips to stroke hers. He could taste the sweet cocktails and the alcohol she had drunk earlier. He lapped at her taste buds, the bitter aftertaste of vodka and tequila tingling in his hungry mouth. She let out a long pleasurable moan, her chest heaving in want and as if a string had snapped in her, she suddenly tilted her head to kiss him back, her tongue now willingly dancing with his, almost desperately. They had never done this, never went past the level of soft chaste kisses before. Sure he had stolen a taste of her lips on occasions, but they had never licked at each other so purposefully. 

She broke the kiss with a sudden move of her head to the side, her tongue still sticking out as she panted for air. Her face was flushed with both embarrassment and desire. He felt a low rumble rise from his ribcage.

“My Queen…” he breathed in her ear, his teeth grazing the part where her ear and jaw met. “If there is anyone that desires you more than anything, it’s me.”

His words dragged a whine, a strange mix of guilt and want, out of her as if they had caressed her entire body. 

He pulled her face back to his, his tongue hungry for more. After half a second of hesitation, he captured her lips again with a hungry growl. Another moan escaped her throat and she kissed him back without hesitation this time. Her hands came up to cradle the back of his skull, guiding him into a new angle so he could reach deep inside her. She was demanding, hungry for his touch. Their tongues twined together, pressing, impatient as if every second of this moment was stolen from time. She moaned wetly, a quick exhale of air she instantly gasped back in when he sucked her bottom lip before diving back toward her face for more. He could feel the desire rise in her, her body heating up as she squirmed slightly against him, moving in tandem with the swaying rhythm of their kiss. He groaned into her mouth as he smelled her arousal. She was getting wet, all from just a kiss.

He moved above her, avidly licking at her tongue, his hand trailing down her throat, guided by the sweet vibrations of her wanting whines to caress the top of her cleavage. His finger grasped at the hot flesh, wanting to touch, to feel every part of her at once, then slipped past the trim of her top, moving slowly towards her breasts. She let out another deep moan as his phalanges stroke against her erected nipple and her chest rose to meet him like a magnet. He squeezed the bud between his bony fingers, caressing her lovely flesh and she gasped loudly, breaking the kiss once more with a pained whine.

“Honey… please stop.”

He froze, his eyes locked onto hers. He searched her face, confused. She turned her head to the right, breathing heavily and reached for his hand on her chest.

“Please stop,” she pleaded again.

He reluctantly retracted his hand, his brow bones rising in further confusion. He could feel her lust, could smell her arousal, everything about her body and soul screamed she wanted this,  _ needed  _ this. Why did she tell him to stop?

“What’s wrong my Queen?”

“I can’t… we can’t do this,” she whispered, her hand moving up to cover her face.

“Why?” he asked, still alarmed by her sudden change of mind. “Is it because you’ve been drinking?”

“No… It’s not that. My mind is clearer than it should,” her voice trembled as she spoke, “I just don’t want to be that kind of person.”

He stared at her, dumbfounded. “What? what do you mean?” 

“I can’t have sex with you! I... I just can’t!” Her voice cracked into a high pitched cry.

He was taken aback, his own insecurities rising within him. He shook them off and grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him.

“We already have! You let me... You let me use your body that day. Why can’t you let me try to pleasure you in return?” he all but shouted at her. His shoulders slumped slightly, “or do you think I’m not good enough?”

She closed her eyes, her own hurt expression marring her face. “No, of course not, Baby. I’m sure you’d be wonderful.”

“Then why?” He shook her and her eyes opened again. The irritation and confusion rattled his bone. He needed to know. “Tell me why you won’t allow it! Tell me why you’d rather go put yourself in danger out there, hoping some stranger would come and fuck you while I’m here, offering,  _ wanting _ you so much it’s driving me fucking insane!”

“Honey, don’t…” she tried to protest, but even she could tell it was no use. 

He was done waiting for a clear answer. Done waiting for her to silently be confused by herself. If she didn’t tell him now, she never would. 

“Why!?” 

“BECAUSE I BOUGHT YOU!” she screamed, screwing her eyes shut.

Silence fell onto the dark room. She covered her face again, trying to turn away from him again but he wouldn't let her. She let out a long painful whine that tore at his soul.

“I don’t want to be that person, who uses you for her own needs after paying to bring you home. I don’t want you to be obligated to give me anything in return. It’s wrong. If it was just heats it’d be fine, but anything else is just wrong.”

“No it’s not!” he protested. “What about you? You're saying you’d just let me use you?”

“You’re my bitty. I have to take care of you, of all of your needs, including those.” Her voice trailed off into a whisper. “I don’t matter anyway.”

He wanted to slap her. He grabbed her face again, moving back on top of her, one hand next to her head, the other on her cheek so she couldn’t look away. Her eyes were still avoiding him. Sweat was starting to form on her skin as her breathing accelerated. He felt her chest heave under him, her hand moved to cover her mouth, like she wanted to prevent him from kissing her again.

“You do matter, your feelings matter," he said softly, controlling his tone. He really didn’t want to shout at her or risk her to get a panic attack. Even while his bones flared with anger toward her self depreciation, he knew she didn’t like confrontations. This was already hard for her. “You matter to me. And we can’t help how bitties are made and have to be adopted. That doesn’t change how we feel.”

“Honey…”

“And I won’t allow you to think otherwise, won’t allow you to stop yourself from feeling things just because of formalities. This…” he gestured to the both of them. “This is more to me than just bitty and owner stuff. This is…” he hesitated, suddenly unable to voice his own feeling the way he wanted it.

“Honey… please let go,” she whined, her lids shutting tightly, her body was shivering. 

“I don’t want to.” He caressed her face gently, wiping away the forming sweat drops.

“Honey I’m gonna puke!”

His hands flew off her face and he fell over to the side with a yelp as she dashed off the bed, skidding her way out to the bathroom. He heard her crash into the toilet bowl just in time for her body to wrenched out the excessive alcohol in her stomach. Laying on his back in the bed, he stared at the ceiling, her words sinking slowly into his skull.

_ ‘BECAUSE I BOUGHT YOU!’ _

So that was why… This was the exact thing that had confused her so much all these months. It didn’t mean she didn’t love him. She simply refused to accept her own feelings because she had paid money to get him. He was still conflicted about this but at least, he had gotten his answer. It also explained all the mix signals he was getting from her. He had his doubts, but it was kind of a relief to finally hear the words coming from her mouth.

Now that the truth was out, he could help her come to term with it. Once she would stop torturing herself with what was wrong or not, then she could decide if she wanted him to be more in her life. The first stone was now set on the road. He only hoped it was leading somewhere that wouldn’t leave either of them heartbroken.

He continued to wait in the bed, steadying his breathing and collecting his thoughts. After several minutes and after the wrenching sounds had subsided from the other room, Honey sat up. He calmly shortcutted out of the room and grabbed a clean washcloth from the pile, then moved to the bathroom sink to soak it up with fresh water. He glanced at her form hugging the toilet like a lifeline and sighed. He used his magic to levitate the wet cloth to the back of her neck and she let out a weak moan in response. She stayed like this for a while, flushing the cursed rejection away and dry heaving some more until she calmed down.

She had wanted to be vulnerable earlier tonight, and this was what she got.

“Is this the part where you say you’ll never drink again?” he teased with half a smile, skull leaning in his palm as he sat on the counter to watch over her.

“Shut up…”

He snickered softly.

“Those last two tequilas might have been a bad idea after all...” she whined weakly, her voice echoing a little in the porcelain bowl.

“This whole evening was a bad idea in my opinion."

She grunted, cheek pressed hard against the toilet, eyes screwed shut. He continued with pointed humor.

"Kind of hurtful to think the idea of us being together is that bad it made you throw up. I haven’t even made my case yet.”

She barely lifted her head to glare at him. “We are not having this conversation right now.”

“Okay,” he replied simply. “It can wait ‘til tomorrow.”

She let her head fall down to rest on the seat with an exasperated groan.

"Be a dear and grab me the painkillers," she muttered. She hadn't objected to having that conversation, he noted.

  
  


"Yes my Queen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello again!  
> How was the ride?
> 
> Did you spot the five stages of grief Honey Bee went through?  
> Queen's core reason for her refusal to be with Honey Bee has come to light!  
> Is it justified though?  
> What could Honey Bee do to make her think otherwise?
> 
> I really want to hear about your thoughts!
> 
> With this Chapter, we are opening phase 3 of the story~  
> Look forward to some fun times, maybe some not so fun times... who knows~!
> 
> :D


	24. My Negotiating Honey Bee~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey Bee and his Queen have a 'serious' talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone~
> 
> Four thousand thank yous for all the kudos and the comments, I love reading them!  
> I'm honored by the love this fic has received so far~ <3
> 
> I'll admit:  
> This chapter gave me a bit of trouble, because I was thinking too hard about it,  
> so please forgive me if some part seems to be a bit lacking in the logic department. 
> 
> I did my best!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new turn of event!

It was a morning of regrets.

Well, for her it was. Honey Bee was actually quite pleased with the sight.

His Queen was hung over. It was a first for him since he usually made sure she drank plenty of water when she did have a few drinks at home. She had a soft spot for some of these sweet alcoholic fruit beverages. Her ‘girly drink’ she called them. Those things tended to go down faster than she’d expect so he always made sure to look out for her and repeatedly offer her glasses of water throughout their evening. But last night, she had been on her own. She had gone to a real bar, gotten real drinks and real shots, including a few tequilas, which by her own admission, had been the last of a streak of bad decisions that night. 

Karma’s a bitch they say.

She was now laying on the couch, head softly cushioned back in the pillows with a cold wet washcloth over her eyes while he sat on the opposite armrest, one feet resting on top of his knee, smirking pensively at her. He brought his hand together, fingers up to rest at the bottom of his chin then motioned his hands forward, pointing in her direction.

“Girl… listen.”

“Not now Honey,” she groaned. “I can _hear_ the meme you’re doing, and it’s making my headache worse.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep my voice down for you,” he offered with a wink. 

She let out an approving whine then blindly reached for the bottle of water she kept beside the couch. After watching her fumble a bit, he flicked his finger and the bottle magically slid into her grip. She dignified him with a grateful grunt before taking a sip. He could tell she was just being grumpy and not actually mad. The look she was giving him was more of an annoyed one than a reprobating one. She could probably feel the grin that was on his face, looking at all the regret she had over the repercussions of her latest choices. She also knew she had walked herself in a conversation she was not completely prepared for.

Honey watched over her patiently. He was most likely way more enthusiastic about the whole situation than he should, but after having danced around the subject, pushed, pulled and turned in confusion over mixed signals, expectations and misunderstandings, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t glad to get actual answers for once. Or at least, that was the plan. She had yet to form a complete sentence this morning, perhaps a last desperate effort at delaying the inevitable. It was kind of adorable to have her be all sluggish and feeble, letting out a bunch of cute groans and childishly mumbling to herself. 

“You said some interesting things last night, my Queen,” he started, leaning back on his hands as he kept his sockets on her. She groaned again but didn’t protest any further, taking another quick sip from the bottle, the wet cloth back over her eyes. Honey had a mental list of questions he wanted to ask her, but didn’t know exactly where to start. He knew he would probably have to fight a little bit. Not the kind of fight where they’d yell at each other or hurt each other, but he’d most definitely have to be direct and maybe push a few of her buttons. Probably best to start slow and open though. He waited for her to lift the cloth from her eyes and sit a little straighter before asking, “Maybe we could start with why you said you bought me. How does that work?”

“I didn’t mean to say it like that,” she said slowly. She rolled the bottle in her hand, taking another sip as she gathered her thoughts. It took her a minute, maybe two, but Honey was patient. “I know I didn’t actually buy you per say, you aren’t a thing. But…” She paused. This was obviously something she had talked herself into believing without ever outright phrasing it. Conjectured thinking often did that. “But I did pay money in order to bring you home and I do have a responsibility toward you.”

“But you are aware the money the Center asks for is only to cover the paperwork and legislation for the adoption, right? It’s illegal to actually sell a bitty, or anyone as a matter of fact.”

“I know.”

“And yet you ‘bought me’,” he pointed out, leaning forward, chin in hand. He didn’t want to be mean about it, just show her the flaws of her logic. “I suppose you also bought Prince and Tyrant.”

“That’s different and you know it,” she retorqued angrily but winced and pressed her fingers to her temple. Honey backed off a little. If she got worked up, her headache would only get worse. She took a breath before adding, “You’re not a pet.”

“Thank you for reminding me.”

“You’re more like an adopted child,” she added, mumbling as she glanced away. “Which doesn’t make it any better.”

“To think you’d wanted children,” he said with a fake pensive tone. “Well, I do feel like a spoiled brat sometimes. Perhaps I should start calling you Mommy instead of Queen Bee from now on.” 

“Honey...” she warned.

“Yeah no, you’re right.” He lidded his sockets, giving her a cheeky grin. “I’d rather you be the one calling me Daddy.”

“Honey!” she shouted indignantly, her face turning a cute shade of red. He couldn’t help but laugh as she threw the washcloth at him and it smacked his skull with a wet sound. Funnily enough, as soon as he dragged it off his face, he saw she longed for the refreshing fabric back. One more tiny regret to add to the list this morning. He chuckled lightly.

“I’m just kidding,” he said more seriously as he ran his thumbs over the fabric. “You do know I’m not a child though, right?”

She sighed heavily, still enviously eyeing the piece of fabric in his hands. Unable to hide her flushed face under it, she elected to drape her arm over her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at him as she admitted, “Yeah, I know. Heck, by bitty standard, you’re probably as old if not older than I am. But I can’t help thinking it would be like having purchased a plaything.”

She was really hung up on that whole money thing, which was weird because he didn’t know her to be the kind to keep tabs or anything. She was determined to care for him the way she cared for the rest of her family and for her cats. Of course the felines weren’t exactly trying to date her, but he was sure if they could, they’d want to do something for her too. Well maybe. They were cats after all. 

“Does it really bother you that much?” he finally asked her. She raised an eyebrow at him from under her arm, waiting for clarification. He kindly threw the washcloth back at her. “That you have to pay for me I mean?”

She caught the wet cloth, only fumbling with it slightly and pressed it against her face with a relieved sigh. “It’s… complicated,” she said after a moment. “It’s not so much that I’m paying for everyday things, it’s just… I don’t want to buy your affection.”

“For you, my affection is free of charge.”

She let out a short humorless chuckle. Evidently, her own logic was working against her. She knew he wasn’t a pet nor an adopted child, she knew he wasn’t something she owned; she knew he loved her and she wanted to love him back, yet she couldn't openly admit it. She was willing to provide for his daily needs out of responsibility, but she didn’t want him to feel like he was indebted to her. In some twisted way, he could kind of get where she was coming from. If the roles were reversed, he would probably also assume she was letting him have his way with her, just because she had to in order for her to survive. Even if she'd kept assuring him it wasn't the case, the thought would inevitably crawl in the back of his mind. So the adoption thing _was_ a problem, but it was not like he had money to actually pay his adoption fee back...

_“BITTIES HAVE NO NEED FOR MONEY.”_

Honey’s socket went wide as the Cleaning Crew’s Leader’s voice echoed in his mind. Those bitties...

“What if… I worked for you?” he thought out loud.

“Honey,” she whined, sensing another joke. 

“No, no hear me out…” he paused to think a few seconds. “You seem hell-bent on being responsible to take care of my needs and I can respect that, but what if I did a few things on the side to earn a little extra. You’d be assured that when I do things, it’d be of my own accord and not so you would continue to provide for me, right?” 

She lifted the towel from her face and gave him a seriously confused look. “Yeah, I suppose. I mean, it doesn’t sound bad, but what would be the point then? What would you use the money for?”

“Extras,” he replied simply with a shrug. It wasn’t really important and he didn’t actually plan on using the points for anything weird. It was just meant as a tool to put her mind at ease. “Could be the right to pick a movie, or it could be for reserving a romantic evening or-”

“Honey Bee, you do realize what you’re suggesting _almost_ sounds like you’re planning on paying for me to sleep with you?” she said warily. Her cheeks still reddened at the thought, he noted.

"Technically, we're already sleeping together."

"You know what I meant," she deadpanned at him.

“I was actually thinking of banning the points from being used for sexy time.” She snorted at his choice of words. “If it can make you feel better, we can also turn it around and make it that some times, if _you_ want ‘something’,” he air quoted the word, making her roll her eyes, “it would give _me_ points. Again, since I don’t need the points for anything important, I’d have no reason to feel obligated to anything, so no pressure.”

She stared at him, hard, trying to find something to say, anything she could use to refute his idea. She couldn’t say it was like paying him for services, since he could refuse without consequences, and he wouldn’t be able to force her to do anything under the pretext of paying her or her owing him.

“What if you want to… you know, and I don’t, or change my mind?” she asked hesitantly. “You wouldn’t force me to continue so you’d get your promised due?”

“Really my Queen?” he said with a pained frown. It hurt that she'd think he would even _consider_ being this backward. The main goal was to work around her own bias and allow her to indulge in what she wanted without feeling bad about it, not abuse her. “I would never force you to do something you don’t want. And if you do change your mind halfway through, didn’t I show you before that I could stop when you tell me to?” he added with a fair smile.

She answered with a small flustered nod. The silence that followed was promising. He could see in her eyes she was thinking about it and if the color spreading to her cheeks was anything to go by, she was also recalling the few times things had gotten heated before she had stopped him. She caught him looking at her and promptly threw the washcloth back on her face to hide her blush with a sweet grunt.

“Besides, the reward wouldn’t be exclusive to these kinds of requests, that was just an example. I could do little things around the apartment too,” he pressed on before cooing invitingly, “I could wash the dishes~”. He saw the visible part of her forehead scrunch up underneath the wet towel. That had gotten her attention! “We could establish some sort of allowance system, or a list of equivalencies.”

“Getting money in exchange for favors still sounds like extorsion to me,” she retorted stubbornly. 

“The only dirty thing about this deal, is the dishes I’m offering to clean,” he said leaning back. He closed one socket before adding, “I’m gonna let that one _sink_ in for you.”

“Ha, ha, not funny,” she said flatly, but the corner of her mouth was twitching and she tried to hide it by throwing the cloth back at him. “Why would I even give you money if you’ll give it back right away? I don't usually have cash with me anyway.” 

Honey caught the rag mid-flight and chuckled at her disgruntled pout at not being able to smack the smirk off his face. He twirled the small towel in one hand, then lazily threw it back at her. “Not money, my Queen, points.”

She sat up to stare at him, moving the cloth to the back of her neck. She was clearly hesitating, but still she hadn’t outright rejected the idea and they were still talking. 

“Think of it like a digital currency. Instead of bitcoins, we could call them dickcoins,” he added with yet another suggestive wink.

“That’s it, I’m lifting your internet privileges,” she declared with another groan, her head leaning back against the cushions. "You've been looking at too many memes."

He chuckled lightly. “Well! If you’re going to be threatening my memes, we can call them Bitty Points instead, what do you say?” 

“Whatever you want, just not dickcoins,” she pointedly pouted. 

There was another pause where he felt her considering the new offer. This was an opportunity, a way to challenge their usual dynamic, offered on a silver platter and he knew part of her wanted this too. It was just the small voice in the back of her head that kept making her doubt. Ultimately, it would be her choice and he would respect it, but it would be sad for her not to at least give it a shot before knocking it. 

“Ok, so how do we establish the value of each chore?” she suddenly asked.

His sockets widened, his grin widening excitingly at her words. He couldn’t believe it. She was doing it! She was taming that voice, listening to what she wanted, giving them a chance! It took him everything not to start wiggling happily in place. Instead, he smiled and leaned back as casually as he could, trying to think of an example. “Well, we’d have to discuss it further. But for example, that time I took out the wasp nest, I say that’s worth at least 50 Bitty Points.”

“I baked you a cake for that, so... no points,” she replied without missing a beat. There was a smug smile tugging at her lips so he smiled and playfully continued to argue. 

“Yeah, but you ate most of it, so… 25 points.”

“No way. 10 points at most.” She paused, “Wait, why are we bargaining?!”

He snickered playfully at her. He didn’t plan the points to be something they’d haggle over, but this was too much fun. It could be called a miracle that they had managed to get through this conversation without it turning awkward or having her run away. She had shown she too was willing to compromise with herself, if only a little. He had given her all the information she needed to make up her mind and at this point, he could only hope. Hope that in the end, she could express her needs more. Speaking of needs... 

“You kind of also mentioned being pent up last night and it’s not like we have to jump right into it. But… with this system in mind... It would be ok if we started cuddling sometimes, right? Less platonically?” he asked, scratching the blush growing on his cheekbones. 

She tilted her head so she could look at him. Her eyes were wary, trying to gauge if there was another joke coming. The sudden suspicion was kind of hurtful. He had swore to himself to be as honest and open as he could, and telling her about his want to be intimate with her was part of that. The suspicion in her eyes soon turned to incredulity.

“Honey, be serious…” she let out with a sigh.

He gave his head a sincere shake, “I’m being very serious, my Queen. I know this is awkward, but we should probably lay down the rules. To avoid any misunderstandings. You already know where I stand with this, I want to know where you are. I’m not going to force you into anything.”

“I’m not…” she stared down at her water bottle. “Honey, I do want to… how did you call it? Cuddle ‘less platonically’? But I don’t think I’m ready for a serious relationship.” 

“I agree.”

She looked up to him in confusion. Honey had thought about this too. As much as he would love to call her his, he knew she had trust and self-esteem issues. After all, it was not like _she_ could read into his soul to see how genuine his feelings for her were. Even if she had agreed today, he was aware she still wasn’t ready to jump into something official and if she did, it would put such a strain on her, she’d fall apart sooner than later. An official relationship was too big a label for her insecure mind, so he had come to term with the fact they might have to tread in a grey area, at least for a while.

“I’m not offering to be your boyfriend or anything,” he explained. “More like a freeloading roommate that is more than willing to take the edge off when you need it.”

Apparently she had not been expecting this answer. She continued to stare at him for what felt like hours. So much in fact, Honey was starting to feel a little uneasy, suddenly very aware of what he was suggesting. Finally, she slowly sat up, uncrossing her legs from beneath her and continued to think for a few seconds before shaking her head. “I need a coffee.”

“I’ll make you one for 5 bitty points~” he offered with a teasing tone. She let out an exasperated groan. “I’m just kidding my Queen, I’m just kidding.”

She got up, eyeing him reproachfully, and moved to the kitchen to turn on the electric kettle. He followed after her, shortcutting directly onto the counter as she fiddled with the instant coffee jar. He grabbed both their mugs and set them on the counter so she could dose her coffee as she liked. She was already looking a lot better, the headache medicine probably having kicked in, plus the good amount of water she had consumed even before their talk. He noted with a smile she still put in an extra spoonful of coffee in her mug. There was a moment of silence while they waited for the water to heat up. 

“What are you thinking about?” he asked her, hoping to keep her from spiraling into an internal chaos of thoughts.

She glanced at him and after a second, she sighed. “How maybe there's something wrong with me,” she said with a defeated tone. 

“What? Why would there be something wrong with you?”

“You have to go through all this trouble,” she said, gesturing around the room, “just because I'm incapable of just having a normal relationship.” 

“Don’t say that. From what you told me, you just got rotten luck with the last one-”

“The only one,” she corrected.

Honey paused, confused. For sure he thought she had told him about one or two boyfriends she had before the manipulating bastard had come in her life. She seemed to notice his confusion and elaborated.

“I’m so bad at dating, I barely held hands with my boyfriends in public. I did try to sleep with one, but it… didn’t work out very well.” Her voice trailed out as she looked away embarrassingly. “I don’t think I loved them to begin with. I was young and too thrilled to have someone confess to me to really think about how I felt. The only time I thought I felt something, it was… he just...” she rubbed her eyes in frustration. “I don’t want to think about it right now.”

Honey stayed quiet in contemplation of her confession. So the only time she had felt like she loved someone, that person had betrayed her and used her feelings. That didn’t mean she could never love again though! If only she could see that.

“I understand why you’re hesitating. But you’re older now my Queen, wiser. You’ve known about my feelings for a while, have you taken the time to think about how you feel?”

“I did,” she replied with a sigh. She was purposefully avoiding his gaze, fidgeting with the spoon in her hands. He resisted the urge to ask her to tell him, opting to give her time to form her thoughts. “So you’d really be willing to have this with me? To be my not-boyfriend?”

“The term you’re looking for is friend.”

“With benefits.”

“Mutual benefits.”

Again, he felt a little bad about it but he couldn’t help smiling. He couldn't get over how satisfying it was to finally grab the beast by the horns and tackle this, them, what she wanted and how it could happen. They were working together toward an understanding, that thought alone was enough to make him smile like an idiot.

Her coffee finally ready, she stirred the honey with the hot water in his mug but paused when she handed it to him. He saw the hesitation on her face, but after a sigh, she smiled at him and pressed her lips on the crown of his skull, then raised her mug toward him and he clicked his against it in a silent toast.

He was elated. This was good! It would have been a huge step back if she had not even wanted to grace him with a chaste kiss on the head. He smiled back at her with a thank you and they made their way back to the couch.

He waited for her to finish up over half of her drink before speaking again.

“Better?”

She nodded, her shoulders more relaxed than before. She was still deep in thoughts, but it felt like she was trying to come to terms with some things.

“I just can’t figure it out.”

“What can’t you figure out?,” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Why would you like me?”

“Because you’re a wonderful human being,” he answered her predictable question. “And before you say something silly, like ‘ _no i’m not_ ’, let me give you an alphabetical list of what I like about you.” He took a breath and started counting on his fingers, “You’re Authentic, Beautiful, Cuddly, Dependable, Empathetic, Fun-”

“Honey, I-”

“Geeky, Hot, Independent, Jazzy, Kind, Loyal, Mellow, Nice, Open-minded, Punny-”

“Honey, I’m not-!” She sputtered, trying to interrupt him as she hid her reddening face. 

“Quirky, Respectful, Strong, Tender-

“Honey, oh my God stop!” she shrieked and buried her face in the cushion. “I get it already!”

Honey watched as she hugged her mug close, leering embarrassingly at him. Her face was bright red, but she had a giddy smile on. Of course, he had meant every word, but she probably didn’t 100% believe all those words applied to her. Still, she had gotten the point and she was visibly flattered and happy with the string of compliments.

"You rehearsed that, didn't you?"

“Maybe a tiny bit," he admitted pinching two fingertips together. "Point being,” he said lowering his hand, “I’m aware you’re not perfect, neither am I, but I find you wonderful and I know this may be hard for you to accept, but I want to make you happy, and share that happiness with you in any way I can.”

“I…” she hesitated for a second. It was like she was struggling within herself to find words buried deep under layers of dust. When she finally found them, she took a deep breath and managed to look at him fully as she said, “Thank you Honey Bee.”

“I also find it completely unacceptable that you'd let me use your body and not allow me to make you cum like you’ve never cum before.”

“Honey!” she protested. “You’re ruining your moment!”

“But it’s true!” He threw the one hand that wasn’t holding his mug in the air. “Real talk! When was the last time you had an orgasm that wasn’t by your own hand?”

“Wh- what are you- Why would-” She sputtered in embarrassment. “Stop being a pervert!”

“Oh come on, we’re both mature adults, here.”

“When did this turn into ‘20 questions’?”

“Not twenty, just maybe four or five, just to see what I’m working with here.”

“Working with- Wait! I didn’t agree to anything!”

“Your call.” Honey paused purposefully, motioning towards her. He took a long sip of his drink, trying to steady his voice and hide his nervousness as he asked her the ultimate question. “Would you like to try the not-so-platonic-friend cuddling with me?”

She opened her mouth to answer but fell silent then bought some more time, slowly drinking the rest of her coffee. When it ran out, she bit her lower lip and Honey had to mentally tell his magic to calm the fuck down as heat spread to his cheekbones. The look she was giving him was both hungry and hesitant. It was war inside her mind, he knew it.

“We’d still be friends though, right?” she asked timidly.

“Of course,” he answered with a soft smile. “I wouldn’t change that for all the honey in the world.”

“And…” she kept going, still biting her lower lip. “ If you, or I, don’t like it… that’d be ok too, right? You’re not going to hate me?”

“Never,” he assured her. “As long as we are open and honest with each other, there won’t be anymore misunderstanding. And no more feeling guilty about wanting a little _bitty_ of love, ok?”

The movement of her head was barely noticeable, but she nodded, slowly, timidly and at the same time, her shoulders slumped a little, like a huge weight had just lifted from them. It must have felt good to be honest with herself for once and he silently thanked their previous banter for facilitating her honesty. Carefully, he set his now empty mug on her desk and walked over to her side of the couch. She didn’t flinch when he touched her knee, and she didn’t pull away when he took her hand in his. He looked up at her.

“I also want to make one more thing clear. What you're feeling is not unjustified. I know people can be horrible, trust me. I see where you're coming from and that you're afraid of what people might think.” He held her hand to his cheekbone, nuzzling it gently. “This can stay between the two of us. It can be a secret if you don’t want anybody to know, or you can shout it at the top of your lungs. You can treat it as an experiment, or a test. I don’t want you to get in something you don’t want, but I don’t want you to repress what you want anymore either. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Whatever the outcome, I’ll never be ashamed to be by your side.”

“Honey…” she smiled shyly at him, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. “I probably won't be any good at this.” 

“We’ll never know until we give it a try.” 

“I’ve never... I don't know how this works.” 

“That's ok, we can figure it out together.”

Her fingers against him were shaking slightly and he resisted the urge to kiss them, opting to rub his cheekbone on them instead in a comforting gesture. She kept her eyes on him, but he couldn't tell if she was really looking at him or not. There was a low throbbing coming from her soul and he tried to ignore it, not wanting to peek at what she was feeling until she voiced her answer. 

“Ok,” she finally said. "I’m in."

“Really?” Honey couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice.

“Yes,” she confirmed with a determined nod.

His knee buckled slightly under him and he dragged a hand over his face. “Oh thank the stars!” 

“Wait, you were nervous?” she asked incredulously. 

“Of course I was!” 

They both blankly stared at each other before bursting into laughter. He hadn’t realized how tensed they had both been until that tension lifted from the room. After a moment, he thought they were settling down, but one look made them both blush again and double down on another fit. It took them several minutes to finally stop, every laughter worked out of their system, leaving them heaving and relaxed on the couch.

“What do we do now?” she asked after having regained control of her breathing. 

“Anything you want.” 

“This was your idea,” she complained, looking away.

“Yeah, but you’re the one pulling the strings, what do _you_ want right now?” he said, squeezing her fingers encouragingly. 

He had so many ideas of things he wanted to do with her - not even including the lewd ones! But she had done so well so far, he didn’t want to ruin it by going too fast. They could hang out, just cuddling close for a bit, get used to their new dynamic, maybe a little soft touching here and there. There was no rush; He wanted _her_ to set the pace. 

“I kind of want to kiss again,” she said bashfully, hiking her shoulders a little in embarrassment. “Like last night?”

Honey’s sockets went wide and he looked up at her, their gaze locking. He was half expecting her to be joking, but he only saw sincerity in the colorful pools of her eyes. 

“I kind of want that too,” he seconded in a whisper.

Moving simultaneously, they leaned toward each other, eyes closing, lips and teeth meeting in the middle. It was an explosion of repressed desires that came over the both of them. He felt her tremble against him and he hummed reassuringly. Without wasting a moment, she parted her lips, inviting in his tongue. He obliged with gusto, a wanting groan escaping him when he felt her own tongue push back against his. Pulling on the hand she was holding, she helped him up into her lap, never letting him break contact, and held him close, her other hand snaking up his side to come up behind his skull while she tangled her fingers with his. Her soft fingers grazed his exposed cervical, stroking them gently as she angled his head up so she could deepen the kiss even more. Unlike the previous night, there was no rush this time. He could feel her emotions pouring out of her soul. He could tell, deep within her well, there had been bottled up emotions, the lid over them like a block of ice frozen solid by years of insecurities, and it was melting away with each passing second, making her overflow. She let out a pained whine but refused to let him go, pressing her lips against him more as to ground herself. He drank her in, both physically and emotionally, avidly draining the feelings pouring out of her and cradling her face to keep her close. It was a mess of confusion, desire, guilt, hesitation, frustration, resolve and finally… acceptance, love, gratitude. He felt her shiver and caressed her cheek, finding it to be wet with tears. He wiped them away gently, tenderly, silently assuring her he knew she wasn't sad. It had been a tough fight, heck she was probably still fighting. The tears of a relieved traveler who spots a town on the horizon after months of being lost.

He allowed her to gasp in some air in between slow and tender kisses. She was humming sweet noises against him, like wordless praises and nips of affection. If the kiss from last night was good, this one was going to be hard to beat. He let his free hand trail alongside her jaw, contouring her ear to run his phalanges in her hair. The gesture seemed to spur her on and dragged a sweet mewl out of her. Their tongues were dancing together, moving as one, allowing the other in before exploring the other and Honey made sure to pay attention to every single centimeter of her warm wet mouth, mapping it carefully. She squeezed his hand in hers and he thought she was signaling for him to stop so he started to pull away but she dragged her hand down his back and pushed him back against her chest so abruptly, he let out a yelp, which she swallowed immediately, leaving him to steady himself by leaning on top of her cleavage. She giggled against his teeth and letting go of him, she slipped both her hands under him essentially making him sit against her, knees spread on each of her chest’s sides. He could feel his pelvis heating up with each brush against her chest and as if trying to channel this new want growing in him, he redoubled the intensity of his kiss, something she welcomed with open lips until he calmed down and the kisses turned slow and deep once more. Even when she ran her thumb on the back of his thighs, his soul seemed to just want to keep kissing her forever.

But of course, they had to break it up at some point. When she reluctantly pulled away, gracing him with a few shorter kisses before leaning her forehead against his, she was completely out of breath. They both were actually and it surprised him how worked up he had become over just one, albeit a very long one, kiss. He looked in her wet eyes, looking for traces of regrets but found only relief. Her face was an adorable bright red and he was pretty sure his own face glowed with a similar intensity. It took her a minute to gather her thoughts before she could speak. 

  
  


“That,” she whispered, her voice raspy and hot, “was a 50 pointers.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is with me when I say: Stars!! About damn time!!  
> Do you think Honey could have gotten a 'sweeter' deal?  
> * audible wink *
> 
> Did you get some 50 shades vibe as they discussed their deal?  
> I didn't mean to, but it kind of hit me when I was going over it.
> 
> What should Queen Bee and Honey Bee do first now that they've cleared things up?
> 
> Let me know, I'm dying to hear your thoughts! :D
> 
> ****
> 
> Also, still compiling votes regarding which type of narrative you would prefer Queen Bee's POV to be:
> 
> first person : "... I walked into the field."  
> second person : "... you walked into the field."  
> third person : "... she walked into the field."


	25. My Cuddly Honey Bee~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queen Bee is a fast learner, not that anybody is complaining!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Huge thank you again for your comments and kudos!  
> I just love chatting with you all~  
> It makes me want to write more and more and more~

It had been a week since Honey Bee and his Queen had agreed on their new relationship. He was kind of amazed at how forward she had suddenly become with her affection as if the chains tethering her had snapped that day. Not that she was coming on to him all the time - though he wouldn't complain if she did - but there was something about the way she moved around, the way her touch sometimes lingered more than usual, especially in the morning, that told him she was letting go of her previous bias and ideas.

Or it could be she had found a new excuse to stay in bed longer.

When her alarm went off, after having snoozed two times already, she curled up on her bitty, hugging him close against her chest with a cute sleepy protest. Her hand slipped up his femur to rest on his hip bone, her fingers snaking their way under the fabric of his shirt to stroke his spine gently. The first time, it had caught him off guard, but now, he enjoyed the sweet touch, arching his back a little to allow her better access. He purred at the slow massaging motions her fingers instinctively began to make on his lower back. She was like a kitten, kneading her way to a comfortable spot until her fingers went slack and her breathing betrayed she had gone back to sleep, only to be woken again by her next alarm. Honey would have gladly shut the thing off, just so they could stay like this longer, but he knew she had to go to work.

Reluctantly wiggling out of her hold, he scooched himself up until he was in front of her resting face, her eyes resolutely shut while the cute little chip tune of her alarm kept playing. Gently, he pressed his teeth to her lips. Only a peck, to begin with, repeating the motion until her head tilted in his direction to welcome the kisses. He smirked when eyes still closed, she leaned forward, her lips searching for his next kiss. He teasingly stayed out of reach, making her shift forward some more until she whined softly. He rewarded her with a new kiss on her pouty face.

  
  


“Wakey wakey, my Queen,” he cooed softly. 

“Five more minutes…” she mumbled.

He smirked, his fingers tracing her lips. “Five minutes of what?”

“Five more minutes of bitty cuddle.”

  
  


Again, he should have been used to it by now, but her newly found honesty always made his soul flutter happily. The magic in his bones whirled a bit with want, but he forced it to calm down. He pressed another kiss to her lips, this time a little more insistent and she replied in kind, kissing him back sweetly. He ran his phalanges along her jaw, lifting her face toward him more and she moaned gently, parting her lips for him. There was a great feeling of peace coming from her, something he enjoyed immensely. There was also something extremely adorable about having her be so cuddly in the morning, before any thoughts regarding the planning of her day, or her work, or chores or anything really, could come to bother her mind. She was a blank slate, and the first thing she wanted at that moment was to be close to him. The thought alone was enough to make him giddy. Almost giddy enough to let her have her way. 

  
  


“I’m all for it, but that means you won’t have time to finish your coffee my Queen,” he languidly argued against her lips. Her face scrunched up, visibly torn between sacrificing her caffeine or the sweet cuddling. 

  
  


With one glance at the clock, he finally came to the decision of dragging himself out of bed, hoping to entice her to follow. He shimmied himself out of her arms and pulled the covers off her on his way off the bed, exposing her to the room’s air. She whined and curled up a bit, her hands reaching to grab the covers back, but he kept them out of her reach with a smugly amused grin.

After much effort and a little more taunting, he finally got his human to get up and start up on their morning ritual. 

He’d reward her with another sweet kiss a little later.

  
  


* * *

“Honey stop!!”

  
  


She squirmed under his fingers, wiggling and ineffectively tried to push him away. It was pretty futile however, Honey had her, his fingers crawling up her side, tickling away as she panted for air between laughter.

  
  


“You’re the one who started it!” he playfully scolded her, aiming his pokey phalange in the soft spot below her ribs. She doubled over, howling uncontrollably in laughter. 

  
  


After another minute, worried she was going to pass out from lack of air, he relented his attacks, hopping on the armrest next to her head to watch her calm down. She wiped her eyes with a few last giggles and finally let out a long breath, relaxing back on the couch. He trailed his phalanges in her hair, soothing her a little more and she playfully poked his cheekbone in response.

  
  


“That is not what I meant when I said I didn’t have a funny bone in me!”

“And I have just demonstrated you do.”

She pouted up at him and he graced her forehead with a skeleton kiss, which made her smile a bit before pouting again. “Not fair though, I can’t tickle you back ‘cause you’re all bone.”

“I am, but that doesn’t mean my bones aren’t sensitive,” he said, raising an interested brow bone at her. “Just a different kind of sensitive.”

  
  


It took her a few seconds, but her brows moved up on her forehead and she twisted her head around to look at him. Their gaze met and he smirked at her, challenging her to ask the question that was burning her lips. His intentions were written all over his face, and her eyes traveled over him, reading them like a book. Honey held back a chuckle when he saw the little mischievous light in her look. She flipped over on the couch, kicking her legs playfully.

  
  


“Sensitive, huh?”

“Yup,” Honey nodded nonchalantly, still standing on the couch’s armrest as she looked up at him.

“Sensitive how?”

“Sensitive enough.”

She rolled her eyes at him, obviously catching his game, but willing to play. “So evasive. Are you afraid I’ll find out your weak spot, Honey Bee?”

“ _You_ are my weak spot, my Queen Bee,” he said seductively. That got a giggle out of her as well as a cute blush.

“That can’t be the only one though,” she replied, biting her lower lip. Her eyes trailed down his form, asking.

  
  


Honey’s ribs shook with a low wanting rumble. He sat down on the armrest and let himself sink on the couch so he was sitting in front of her face. She scooted back a bit to allow some space but kept her face close enough to be in kissing range, a detail that Honey didn’t fail to notice. He waited a moment before leaning back, arms wide open in invitation.

  
  


“You’re free to find out.”

  
  


It was apparently all she was waiting for, but despite her obvious excitement, she was gentle with her touch. Gentle and slow as she pressed the tip of her fingers on his left barefoot, dragging them up his leg. It felt like she was purposefully touching every part of him, which he supposed was the goal here, finding his weak spots and all, but her touches didn’t feel as ticklish as they felt exploring, curious. Her fingers could easily wrap around his thin legs and he somewhat regretted wearing skinny pants today. If she could, he was sure she would have slipped her fingers up his pants to caress his femurs directly. Instead, he felt her warmth through the denim of his pants. It was still hot, but he wished they weren’t there at all, despite what it would entail. 

When they reached the top of his femurs, her fingers wrapped around to the back of his legs and trailed back down behind his knees, almost making him believe she was actually looking for a ticklish spot on him. Her movements were too slow, however, a lot more caressing than probing and the way she kept flicking her eyes up to his face to check for a reaction was more her asking permission to continue than searching for a reactive twitch on his part. He challenged her to continue with his best smirk, shifting his hips to allow better access to his upper body.

  
  


“Maybe you’ll have a better chance up here,” he suggestively said, motioning the hem of his loose hoodie. She seemed to approve the suggestion and hastily move her hand around his hip to snake her way in the back of his shirt.

  
  


He had to repress the sound coming up his throat, a low and comfortable groan when she slid his spine between her fingers. She already knew he liked her massages so it was pointless to expect him to be ticklish there, but obviously, that was not going to stop her. It was a shame however when the size of his hoodie didn’t allow her to move all the way to the top of his spine. She got stuck, about three-quarters of the way, her fingers spreading on the back of his ribs on their way back to the front of his chest. Of course, this movement was also dragging his hoodie up his front and he quickly got the hint. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and flipped it over his skull, tossing the hindrance to the side just in time to meet her lips as she leaned forward to kiss him.

She was as delicious as always, her warm breath mixing with his, but they kept the kiss rather chaste, choosing to just maintain the contact between them with sweet pressure as waves of deliberate playfulness emanated from her. Her feelings were like little teasing nips at his soul, something he allowed himself to feel and enjoy whenever he could, like one might enjoy their lover strip for them, just for the heck of it, without the expectation of further development. However, it quickly dawned on him that developments were exactly what she was looking for.

Now unobstructed by clothes getting in the way, her hand roamed freely back on his exposed ribcage, her fingers tracing each one carefully, applying just enough pressure to force another groan out of him. Enticed by his reaction, she tilted her head to the right to kiss his jaw, her lips searching for the spot that would make him moan. Spot which he hinted at when his own hands traveled down the side of her neck, poking gently on her where he wanted to be touched. It was a silent message that she took a few seconds to catch, perhaps entranced by her own exploration through touch, but when she kissed the junction of his skull and spine and he let out his first hissing moan, she got the idea. She doubled down on the spot, tongue darting out to tease the cracks between his vertebrae, lips closing on the side of his neck to suck at his bone.

  
  


“Ha~! yup! th-that’s the spot!” he let out between two gasps. Maybe he should have waited a bit before showing her that, for the sake of his own sanity. She was unexpectedly eager, humming proudly as she kept kissing and sucking the spot.He could feel his joint start to glow, his magic whirling across his bones, begging to form. He forced himself to keep it under control. “Stars! I can't... ngh!” he groaned against her cheek, want filling his mind.

She recoiled at his words with a worried look. “I’m sorry, was it too much? I didn't mean to-"

  
  


The sudden loss of her touch made him jerk pathetically, like a part of himself had been aggressively ripped off him and he let out an involuntary whine. When he looked up at her, he quickly realized she had misinterpreted his words. He grabbed her hand, tugging it back toward his chest.

  
  


“No, I didn’t mean it that way. I don’t want you to stop,” he all but begged. Just having her hand close to him again helped him feel better, but he already missed her lips on him.

Luckily, and probably because they had already promised to be honest with each other, she seemed to believe him immediately. She pressed an apologetic kiss to the top of his skull and he gave one to the tip of her chin in response before he settled down a bit more. The intensity of the moment had left him heaving and part of him felt it was a bit unfair she could work him up that much with just kissing. Maybe he should go looking for _her_ sweet spots sometimes.

  
  


“I didn’t mean to overwhelm you, Honey Bee,” she murmured, still apologizing despite herself. “I don’t know what I’m doing and I don’t want to be too hard on you.”

“You’re not the one being hard at this point,” he joked, winking at her. Her eyes flickered down to his lower half, confirming he was just kidding. She still blushed and they both giggled. 

  
  


Then again, he didn’t want to go too hard on her too quickly either and scare her off. Until they both knew how far the other was willing to go, maybe they should come up with some way to confirm the other was ok, even in the heat of the moment.

  
  


“I doubt you could ever reach that point, my lovely Queen,“ he assured her, stroking her cheek gently, “but would you prefer we establish a code to let the other know when to stop?”

She looked at him, a little puzzled. “Are you… talking about safe words?”

“I guess I am,” he pondered, raising his sockets to the ceiling. 

“But we’re not… I mean,” she seemed at a loss for words while her cheeks grew more and more red as she continued. “We’re not like, BDSMing or anything.”

Honey let out a chuckle. She had moved back a little, but not far enough for him not to be able to teasingly poke the tip of her nose. “Not until you wanna try it out, my beautiful Queen.”

  
  


The suggestion made her eyes widen and cheeks go even redder, which was completely adorable, and to his surprise, she did not make any comment indicating she was completely against it. 

  
  


_‘Well, that is an interesting thought!’_ his inner voice chided, intrigued.

“Safe words can be used for all kinds of things,” he told her, compensating with conviction what he lacked in knowledge. “Not that I have much experience myself, but it could apply to teasing, or even tickling,” he added with another wink. “If you feel I’m going too far, it’d be a sure way to let me know.”

She hummed thoughtfully, her fingers idly stroking his clothed leg again. “What word should we use then? I’m guessing it should be a word we don’t use normally.”

“Doesn’t need to be complicated.”

“What are you thinking of?”

Honey shrugged. Not that he didn’t care, but he didn’t think they’d need something extravagant. “Could be as simple as colors.”

She cocked her eyebrow, obviously surprised he could come up with something so quickly. “Like.. green, yellow and red?”

“Green is a go ahead, yellow is discomfort and red is an immediate stop,” he suggested plainly. Why complicate things further? “Would that be ok for you?”

  
  


She tilted her head with a pensive pout he resisted the urge to kiss. He let her consider the words, see if she’d feel comfortable voicing them herself. After all, it was useless to establish something she wouldn’t remember to use in the midst of things. He would have gladly offered to practice a bit, but that would mean putting her in uncomfortable situations, which he simply didn’t even plan on doing to begin with. Maybe if he just asked her to confirm her go ahead before doing things…

His thoughts were interrupted when she nuzzled back into the side of his head, her lips brushing against his jawline, making him gasp lightly in surprise.

  
  


“Are you giving me the green light to continue then?” she cooed temptingly.

  
  


What a remarkably willing partner she was being! Letting herself ease into things as soon as they came up, going with whatever he was telling her, like an attentive student. Although it was a little weird she seemed to think he was so much more experienced than her - which perhaps was _kind_ of true - it was so refreshing to have her not fight what she wanted. She was still sometimes hesitating and acted all shy, and he’d let her have the final say whenever she hesitated. More often than not, she ended up pushing past her uncertainties. She was doing so well and he was so proud of her. _Such a good girl_ , he thought, heat rising in his cheekbones.

  
  


“All green my Queen,” he whispered in her ear.

  
  


Any further words from him devolved into moans, his phalanges tracing the side of her face to guide her lips at the angle he liked best, not that she needed much guiding. She seemed to have memorized the exact spot that had had him writhing a few moments before.

  
  


* * *

Over the course of the next week, Honey undertook to get a few things done in the apartment. Of course, he did them leisurely and was still taking plenty of naps in between, but he had managed to surprise his Queen by getting a few chores done. They were small things, like dusting one of the bookshelves, separating their clothes in piles for future laundry batches but most noticeably of all, for three days in a row, he had washed dishes. Although it only made a small dent in the accumulating pile on the counter, it had overjoyed her. She had gawked at the drying cookwares on the rack upon her return from work and when he nodded at her, confirming she was not dreaming, she had let out a little squeal of joy and had literally covered his face in kisses.

Thank yous and kisses were good, but what he really wanted were the Bitty Points.

After all, what would be the point if he never used them? Honey considered it was important he started making use of that system and when he happened to overhear her talking to Vivi about an upcoming Halloween party, a plan had quickly started to form in his mind. 

She must have sensed something was up, because one morning, as she was sipping on her coffee, she eyed suspiciously the Bitty Point sheet stuck to the side of the fridge, taking in the recent additions of points by a batch of 15 or 20, as she had added them with more or less contingency, depending on the nature of the chore itself and how she felt at the time. The dishwashing occurrences alone had gotten him over 150 points. Of course, that was notwithstanding the random points she usually just popped on there just because she felt like it, or because she had particularly enjoyed a kiss or two. 

Honey took a sip of his own drink, plenty aware but ignoring her inquisitive glare. 

  
  


“What are you planning, my sly little Honey Bee,” she asked, her eyes narrowed over her mug.

He snickered. “Not much, maybe watch some episodes online again,” he offered non committedly.

She rolled her eyes at him. “You know that’s not what I mean. Why are you collecting Bitty Points all of a sudden?”

“Maybe I found something I want that falls into the ‘extra’ category?”

His words made her eyebrow rise on her forehead. After a second, her gaze softened. “Why don’t you just ask?”

“Because I‘ll need a budget.”

  
  


She blinked at him, lips paused on the edge of her cup. Maybe it was a little too early for her to try and understand what he meant. He waited for her to take another sip, which he took as a sign that her motor functions had started up again.

  
  


“A budget?”

“The bird brain has invited you to her Halloween party, no?” he started, leaning back on one hand. “And who says Halloween party, says Halloween costume.” She looked at him, clearly even more confused. “I wanted to ask you to let me choose your costume for you.”

“What?”

  
  


He knew she had heard him clearly, so he took another long sip, waiting for the information to make its way to her foggy morning brain. A little look toward the calendar hanging on the wall near the front door seemed to help her. The 31st was on a Saturday, and she had circled the date and drew a cute little pumpkin in the square with a trail of candy doodles leading up to it over the week as if they had spilled from its open top. 

  
  


“Oh, I suppose last year we didn’t do much,” she reflected out loud.

  
  


Indeed, last year, it had only been a few weeks since Honey had come into her life and she admitted, later on, she had tampered her love of the holiday because she was afraid of offending him by hanging skeleton decorations or simply going overboard with enthusiasm. She had also still been rather depressed at that time, so that had counted for something too. They had settled for a quiet night to watch Dorian Grey and a few other not so scary movies. She hadn’t dressed up and of course, neither did he. Since then, however, he had come across so many pun inspired costumes, he was resolved not to pass up this opportunity again. 

She tilted her head up, gulping down the rest of her coffee, and set the mug on the counter. Her fingers lingered on the handle, probably deploring the fact she knew that now that it was empty, she had to move on to getting dressed and getting ready for work. She side-glanced at him and he down the rest of his own drink, ready to follow if she needed emotional support.

With her bitty in tow, she headed for the bedroom and set out to find what to wear for the day. A comfortable pair of jeans was thrown on the bed within a minute, but she stilled and pondered about the top. Her mind was still reeling as she browsed through her different option and with a sudden thought, she looked over her shoulder to Honey Bee, sitting crossed legged on the bed.

  
  


“You’re not planning on making me wear something lewd, are you?”

  
  


Well…

“Not exactly,” he replied with a smirk. “But I’m keeping the naughty nurse outfit idea for later.” All kinds of images were coming to his mind now. Naughty nurse, or a sexy bunny outfit that would hug all the right curves on her body. He idly wondered what she would look like wearing a garter belt and some stockings under a mini skirt, not long enough to cover her entire thigh. He shook his head to clear his mind. “But if you’re willing to give me carte blanche, I promise to keep it party friendly.” Or at least try.

“Why am I not surprised…” she sighed, but she was smiling.

  
  


She walked around him to grab a bra from her dresser and he reflexively averted his eyes, still mindful of her need for privacy when she got dressed. It was a shame really. They were all pretty, with laces and cute colors, and yet he didn’t get to look at them all that much, since she usually quickly put a shirt on or quickly discarded the constraining item at the end of the day. He listened to her shuffling on his right and risked a peek, only to catch her watching him through the mirror on top of the dresser. She smirked smugly when she caught him looking, but said nothing and simply adjusted her bra some more, then walked back around to stand in front of her closet in nothing but her jeans and bra.

  
  


“Alright,” she said, shrugging lightly. “I’m not going to complain over you choring your way around, so long as you don’t force yourself.”

“No need to worry about that, my Queen,” he replied, forcing himself to look at her face and nowhere else. 

“How about we talk point conversion tonight?” she turned around to pick at her hanged shirts again, still undecided.

“Deal,” he agreed with a nod. 

  
  


He noted she didn’t really look at them much, but touched the sleeve of each of them, feeling the texture. Perhaps she was looking for something comfortable to wear more than something pretty. They’d all look great on her anyway, but for now, the more she hesitated, the more he could enjoy the view.

Despite himself, Honey blushed, his sockets training on the back of her form as she hesitated between two shirts. He could feel his soul pulse, simply looking at her. They hadn’t really gone past kissing and maybe touching, but something was crawling in his bones. A want for more. It wasn’t like they had never thought of it, their mutual lust for each other being what had sparked all this, but he hadn’t wanted to press her into more intimate contact, finding she was already being a lot more forward than he could have ever hoped. They had somewhat pressed a restart button and although they were moving faster than maybe a normal newly formed couple, he didn’t want to rush this. In the meantime, he reveled in these little moments of simple intimacy where he almost felt like they were an old couple instead of just being… what they were.

She finally decided on a loose turtleneck sweater, slipping it in and hiding her cute pale blue bra underneath. It was dark green with fake silver zippers on the cuffs and hugged her curves in all the right places. It was just long enough to cover her behind and the vertical lines in the texture of the fabric accentuated the shape of her hips and chest. She turned to him and he made an approving noise that got a giggle out of her. 

As she moved to select a necklace to go over the shirt, honey spotted a bag next to the dresser. It was a simple bag, grey, and pink with cursive letters printed on it. He raised a brow bone as he recognized the name of the shop: Miss Kikko.

  
  


“Really my Queen? More?” He said, appalled.

“What?” She turned to him, confused. “What’s wrong?”

  
  


Honey pointed at the bag as he deadpanned at her. Still confused, she picked up the bag and looked at its content. Honey didn’t know why she bothered; knowing her, it could only be one thing. She looked back at him with a guilty expression.

  
  


“Kind of forgot I had bought these,” she said, fidgeting with the bag’s handles. He continued to stare at her, sockets narrowing. She shrank away a little. “What?” she defensively dragged the word out, “I like cute socks.”

“So do I, especially on you but…” Honey moved to the edge of the bed and with one flicking motion, he used his magic to open the top left drawer of the dresser. It was overflowing with rolled up pairs of socks.

“Oh come on, I don’t have that many…” she tried to argue.

Honey raises a brow bone at her and flick his hand again, opening a second drawer, also full of socks. 

“Ok but...” she started but he interrupted her with another movement of his wrist that opened the third drawer. “Wait a second, this one doesn’t even have any socks in it!”

“Where are you going to put the new ones?” 

  
  


She pursed her lips and stared back at him, unable to find words to defend herself. 

  
  


“My point exactly.”

  
  


Honey had to resist the urge to laugh at her defeated expression. How he loved to tease her about her little guilty pleasure. It was one of the little things she liked to indulge herself in that she herself described as ‘her girly side showing’. It was adorable, but even he had to admit she tended to go overboard sometimes. Maybe he could organize her drawers a bit, make some space for the new arrivals. That should get him some extra Bitty Points.

He was going to need it for his idea.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What kind of costume do you think Honey Bee has in mind for his Queen?  
> So many options~  
> Any suggestion on what Honey could do to earn points? or how he should spend them?
> 
> It's good to finally write some sweet lovin' between these two!  
> Queen has been so thirsty for this and now she is FINALLY accepting it!
> 
> and yet... they're being so chaste still...  
> Hopefully not for long~~ <3
> 
> *****
> 
> Also, still compiling votes regarding which type of narrative you would prefer the fast approaching Queen Bee's POV to be:
> 
> first person : "... I walked into the field."  
> second person : "... you walked into the field."  
> third person : "... she walked into the field."


	26. Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays !!

Thank you for this wonderful year and for all the love you've given this fic.

I'll see you all next year with brand new chapters!

Speedpaint: <https://youtu.be/a0FP89X94s4>


	27. My Nectary Honey Bee~ ***

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much fun is had at a Halloween party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!!
> 
> Sorry for the wait, or rather,  
> Thank you for your patience :)
> 
> Yes, we are back with more Honey Bee goodness and boy it feels good!  
> This is a big one so hopefully it'll make up for the wait.  
> I am also painfully aware this is a Halloween chapter even though we are so close to Valentine's Day... I can't help this story's timeline tho XD  
> I hope you won't mind too much.
> 
> Also...  
> Mind the smut warning~  
> HOT STUFF COMING THROUGH!!!

The 31st of October. 

Halloween night.

What had started as an abnormally warm day for October had quickly turned into a chilled night as soon as the sun had gone down and he was starting to worry his Queen might have been slightly underdressed to be walking around. Even he could feel the cold trying to creep under his one piece suit. Luckily for them both, V’s house was just a few streets down from the bus stop and most likely motivated by the same concerns, his human was walking swiftly toward their destination. From the safety of the opened duffle bag strapped over her shoulder, he could look at their surroundings as they went.

With the usual unawareness of their youth, kids were running about, laughing, squealing and screaming around them. He had witnessed the holiday before, when the center he was at at the time held an event for the candy induced holiday, but he had never seen so many of them at once. Usually, the center’s employee would dress up for the day, as this was the only day they could forgo their uniform without being reprimanded, and the bitties were treated to some game and special meal, like any other special holidays, but never had he had the chance to actually witness the extent of the frenzy people could get into, simply by walking down the street, knocking door to door to get candy. Well he guessed the sugar had a legitimate part in the frenzy itself. Miniature superheroes of all shape and sizes, fairies, witches, zombies, animals, monster imitation (you’d think this would have offended some, but the monsters in general seemed to find it hilarious more than anything) and other rather creative costumes were displayed proudly. Where the kids seemed to just want to run around, the adults accompanying them tended to look more like prancing birds, showing off their creations to the world. The neighborhood was bright with decorations of all kinds. Really, this was a day for the big and small to enjoy. 

Distracted by his observation of the show surrounding them, Honey barely noticed the both of them walking up to a house of their own. It had been decorated like a field of pumpkins, each of them being lit up from the inside. There was a greenish mist floating around that thinned to free the way to the house, probably to make sure kids wouldn’t trip on anything on their way to the door; little bulbs of light floated here and there, about two feet from the ground like will-o-wisps and ethereal laughers rose from all around. On the left side on the front lawn, there was an erected circle of stones and two hooded figures were leaning over a fuming cauldron. Spooky yet inviting, good job bird brain.

“She really went all out this year,” his Queen commented, a little out of breath.

Honey looked up and smiled at the little sparks in his precious human’s eyes. No doubt, if she wasn’t expected somewhere and if she was better dressed, she’d want to wander around some more, admire the handwork of people who gave their all decorating their houses. Maybe they could take a walk later this weekend. But for now, it was best to get inside.

Answering the light knocks on the door, it was Vivi herself that welcomed them in with a cheerful squeal. The pink bird monster was wearing a long dark purple robe with black webbing designs under a dark cape, a pointy hat was balanced over one of her cat-like ear feathers. She had completed the witchy look with a tall staff sprinkled in fairy lights that ended in a hook where a small bucket of candies hung. She let out a cackle and stepped aside for them to come in.

“My my! Look at you!” she exclaimed when she looked at her friend on her doorstep. “So cute, it’s almost scary!”

Honey grinned proudly and side glanced at the beautifully dressed human at his side.

It had taken some work, but he had managed to find a dress with the cut she liked, one that hugged her waist and flowed down to just above her knees. The top part was black, with a low cut cleavage that showed just enough without being vulgar. The dress itself was sleeveless, but she had thrown on a matching light vest that covered her entire arms, ending with punctured cuffs in which her thumbs slipped. Of course, it wouldn’t do to have her wear all black, so the lower part of the dress, starting from the line just below her breasts flowed down in the bright orange, white and black patterns of a monarch butterfly wings. The whole thing was covered in glitter, which made her sparkle with every move. Although he hadn’t planned to, she had decided to cover her legs with laced floral patterned stocking that, unbeknown to anyone but him, only went up to her middle thighs. Something about that detail was making his soul flip happily. A careful and delicate makeup matching in colors and pattern surrounded the top of her face. For that too, he was rather proud of himself, having spent many hours watching makeup tutorials online to find the right match for her. He had even added little sparkling diamonds to decorate the wings tips on her temples, though no shine could ever outdo the pretty twinkle of her eyes.

Honey had chosen this particular costume for many reasons, some of which may or may not have something to do with how much she had changed over the last few months, metamorphosing herself into a beautiful creature before him.

His butterfly Queen blushed at the compliments the bird showered over her as she stepped in and lowered her bag for him to shuffle out of, careful not to knock the bottles inside it. He smoothed out his ruffled green suit. It was a one piece, bright green in the middle, with a gradient to a darker shade going toward the cuffs. Unlike a onesie, his feet were free but tucked into fluffy brown boots, a perfect combination of comfort and style, not unlike those ‘hugs’ thingies he had heard about. As if he could wear anything else, the top part also had a hood, which was tucked behind his skull at the moment.

“And what about you, bug? Green lantern?”

Honey smirked up at the monster girl. “No way. I have standards,” he replied with an exaggerated offended gesture. He grabbed the hood and swiftly threw it over his head and as soon as he did, his face was surrounded with half a dozen of yellow heart shaped petals. Vivi squawked in laughter.

“How perfect!” She chuckled, leaning on her staff for support. “I get it, honey made of flower nectar and all, good one!”

The suit was also super comfortable and felt more like a pajama than a costume, which was great. His Queen had really known what she was doing when she picked it. He glanced up at her, catching her proud smile. They made quite the pair!

After calming down, Vivi motioned them to come in and they walked into the living room. The inside of the house was as much as decorated, if not more than the outside. Streamers hung from all available spots on the ceiling, banners and stickers colored the walls, even black and orange balloons had been put together and filled every corner. The lights were dimmed, complemented by black lights, giving the room a spooky feel without compromising anyone’s ability to see. Not that he, or the bird monster would have any trouble seeing in the dark, but her husband was human, and apparently more than one guest was as well. 

Honey was surprised to see a familiar looking human sitting on the loveseat next to the couch. Her fine nose pointed down to her phone as she checked something on the screen. If he recalled correctly, she was a coworker at the warehouse, and Vivi didn’t work with them, so why was she here? Perhaps they were a common friend. He’d have to ask later. When they came in, she lifted her face, her pointy ears shifting to attention on her head. Wait... her ears? It took him a second to remember she was indeed human, but the girl was wearing a copper colored fox costume with dark gloves and socks and on her head, two triangular ears moved by themselves. They flicked happily as she waved to the newcomers.

Leaning back on the right end on the couch was Jake Doster, Vi’s husband, fidgeting with a small speaker as he apparently tried to sync it with a playlist on his phone. He was wearing a long white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck. When the two stepped in the room, he lifted his face to them, putting two fingers to his temple in a silent salute. Honey gave him a similarly discrete wave while his accompanying butterfly lady greeted the other woman in the room.

Jake wasn’t much of a talker, which was funny, given what his wife was like. Something something opposites attract? But the guy was fun to be around. Laid back, yet attentive, he knew a bunch of stuff on a variety of subjects, some more surprising than others. A man of few words, unless it indulged his nerdiness… or jokes.

“Nice doctor costume, Jake, “ his Queen politely commented. Jake shook his head.

“Not just a regular doctor.” When both the newcomers gave him a questioning look, he called out, “Darling, come here a sec!”

Vivi giggled and circled the coffee table to lean toward her husband. Jake took out a band aid and stuck it to his wife’s feathery cheek, kissing it for good measure. Then he looked back to the others with a grin and added, “See? I’m a witch doctor.”

All three girls rolled their eyes, although they still chuckled a bit and Honey slowly applauded the man. “Nice one, man.” A bit of a stretch, but nice.

  
  
  


“I’m going to put away our bag. Be right back!” His Queen announced after a pause. With a nod, she motioned Honey to go ahead and get seated, then turned around and exited the living room to head back to the stairs. The bird monster followed suit, stopping just long enough in the arch way to sign something to the girl sitting in the living room before disappearing around the corner. Lexy almost jumped to her feet with a giggle and disappeared as well, leaving the two boys to exchange a look.

Honey shortcutted to the couch’s arm rest next to him, making the man jump slightly. “Sup, man?” Honey greeted him. “Tell me you’re gonna use that to spook the girls later on.”

Jake grinned and held a finger to his lips, then slipped the small speaker under the cushion next to him, where his wife would most likely be sitting down later on. His dark deed done, he leaned back on the couch, easing into the seat like he owned the place. Oh wait...

“So,” Jake asked, putting away his phone, “first party?”

“Kind of,” Honey replied with a shrug, sitting on the armrest. “We’ve had drinking nights at home before, and we did have some game events back at the centers, but yeah, not sure what you guys have in store for us.”

“Well it’s nothing too out of the ordinary. A few games, drinks, food, a movie.”

“Nothing too scary I hope?” Honey asked, concerned as his Queen was not a big fan of scary movies. “It may be Halloween, but we don’t want to give the girls nightmares.”

Jake chuckled. Not an evil chuckle one would expect of the prank loving man, but an amused one nonetheless. He shook his head a little, like Honey wasn’t the first to say this.

“Nah, we know your little butterfly lady doesn’t like scary stuff. Vivi has actually planned the evening around you guys coming, you know?”

Something about Jake calling her _his_ little lady made his soul flutter for a second, but he pushed the feeling aside before the heat on his face could turn into a blush and raised a brow bone, asking, “What do you mean ‘around’ us?”

“Well for one, we didn’t put up any skeleton decorations. They may just be plastic, but she was worried you’d take it personal, so we put them away.”

Honey smirked. “Are you saying you have skeletons in your closet right now?”

“Not until you play 7 minutes in heavens.” Jake winked at him with a smirk of his own.

Honey blinked, confused. He had never heard of that game, but from the look Jake was giving him, Honey could get the gist of it. It actually made him wonder just how much the man, and his feathered counterpart were aware of the relationship between him and his Queen. Had she told them? Not that he minded. He had told her she was free to keep it between them or tell anyone she pleased, but she hadn’t mentioned doing so yet. Honey was torn. If it was still a secret and Jake was fishing for details, it would be rude of him to say anything, especially if she wasn’t around. But if they did know, he didn’t want to sound like he was ashamed of being with her. Stars, he wanted to brag so much...

“You guys aren’t planning anything weird, are you?” Honey asked, hoping to redirect the conversation.

Jake shrugged non-committedly. “I didn’t actually get to plan anything, V’s the one you took charge of everything. I’m just here for the ride like you guys.” Noting the dirty glare Honey was giving him, he added, “Don’t worry man, you know she wouldn’t want her bestie to have a bad time.”

True. If there was one person he knew had his human’s best interest at heart, it was the bird brain. Honey had many occasions to check her soul over the last year and her intentions toward his Queen had always been genuine and good. That didn’t mean she included him in the equation, but he trusted she wouldn’t plan nor allow her human friend to go overboard. Not that he was relying on her of course, he had planned on keeping an eye socket on her himself too.

There was a fit of giggle echoing from the kitchen around the corner and both of them turned to look. The girls had come back down and moved to the kitchen to gossip it seemed, but he couldn’t make out the exact words being spoken.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Jake interrupted his thoughts. Honey turned back to look at the man. Reflectively, his sockets trained on his chest, sensing his soul. Jake’s soul was colder than you’d expect, but it shone a deep royal blue. It was hidden inside what was best described as a rubix cube. It twirled on itself, unlocking one side to let out a feeling of genuine curiosity. “Have you tried that game everyone is talking about lately? The one with the imposter?”

Honey shook his head. He had heard of it of course. You couldn’t make two clicks on his favorite meme site without a trillion posts about this game popping up, from what he had heard, it required either use of a voice chat to play, or type what he had to say. The keyboard was too big for him to type quickly and efficiently, so he had given up on that option. When he explained his predicament, Jake fell into silence, finger taping his chin in reflection.

He was about to ask him what he was thinking about when the girls returned, their cheeks rosier than before, each holding a platter of food bites, chips and candies. They were still giggling and the lovely sound coming from his human derailed his thoughts. He watched, almost mesmerized as she dropped the bowl of chips in her hand on the coffee table in front of the couch, grabbing a chip and plopping it in her mouth before seating on the left side of the love seat, Lexy joining her, taking the right side. Honey shortcutted to his Queen lap and got comfy, which she apparently approved of, her fingers petting his head gently. He peered up at her beautiful painted face. He was really happy with it, the chosen colors really did her justice. Orange with a touch of golden yellow framed by black and white designs.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Vivi announced grandly, whipping her cape around is a mysterious gesture, “skeles and humans alike, I welcome thee,” she continued, spreading her wing, “to the Feather-Doster Halloween party!” She waited for the enthusiastic applause from the two girls to stop before continuing. “We have planned for you tonight an evening of games, laughter and fun! There will be plenty to drink, and as we previously discussed, you all have a room ready for you when this is all done, so you can enjoy this event as responsible adults and have a safe return later tomorrow. With this in mind, I invite you to indulge yourself and enjoy this occasion to its full potential!”

“J’y compte bien!” cheered Lexy. “C’est le mari qui qui est en charge des kids ce soir,” she added in a whisper, elbowing the girl next to her.

Honey looked to his Queen with a questioning smirk. “I’m sorry, _what did the fox say_?” His question resulted in a fit of giggles from both the girls, but his question remained unanswered.

“Speaking of children,” the bird monster continued, “it is still early and some may still come up to our door. So to begin with, I present to you the first activity of the night. To start things off easy so to say.”

At her words, Vivi proudly produced a large tray with a series of small glasses and a plate on top of which little stacks of red jello cubes happily wiggled.

“Wow, someone went all out,” his Queen commented with an impressed whistle. “Are those what I think they are?” Honey looked, puzzled, from her face to the jellies.

“Indeed they are,” the monster happily nodded as she set the tray on the coffee table in the living room and distributed the glasses to each of the party members, each having a different color.

“Jello shots,” the man explained when he spotted the bitty skeptically eyeing the wiggling red little cubes. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the jelly had been mixed with. The other two ladies applauded and cheered and the bird took an exaggerated bow while Honey exchanged a look with Jake. Perhaps the ladies had already started their drinking when they were left unsupervised in the kitchen earlier. Pulling a pack of playing cards from her sleeve, the bird monster proceeded to explain.

“The first game is a very easy one. We each draw a card from the pack. The two highest cards must guess the next card on the pile. The one furthest from the answer has to take a Jelly Roulette Shot. It’s called roulette, because some of them contain cherry flavored alcohol while others... don’t.”

Interesting idea, Honey thought, watching the little cubes. Some of them did indeed have a slightly different hue to them. He was pretty sure those were the spiked ones. In either case, once someone would have tasted one, they’d all know which one were the regular jellies. With this logic, it seemed a bit silly to mention them being mixed to begin with. As he was thinking this, Honey caught the look the bird monster was giving him. There was a conniving glimmer in the eyes behind the circular glasses, as if she was amused by his apparent reflection.

“Are you in, Bug?” 

He scoffed at the nickname then looked up to see what his Queen thought of the game. She was obviously excited.

“This sounds fun!” she exclaimed. 

There were cheers all around and Vivi presented the pack of cards to Lexy first, then to his Queen and then Honey. He paused, eyeing the monster. Something about the way she was smirking told him she was preparing something, like she was daring him to try and find out what. After a moment of hesitation, he drew a card and Vi passed the pack over to Jake before picking her own. 

“Six de trèfles,” Lexy showed her six of clubs card.

“Seven of hearts,” came the voice above him.

“Ten of spades,” Honey called, flipping his card side up.

“Three of clubs.”

“And Queen of hearts,” Vi finished the roll call with her own card. “The bet is between me and Honey Bee. So what’s the next card, Bug?”

“Jack,” he let out on a whim.

“Pick a color too, in case it’s a draw.”

“Err... ok. Jack Red.”

“Then I say Ten Black.”

With a wide and dramatic gesture, Vivi pulled the card on top of the pack, glanced at it, and flipped it between her feather fingers for all to see. A seven of diamonds. There was a chorus of ‘ooooh’ along with encouraging cheers.

Honey suddenly realized he had made a mistake. He should have let them have a first round without him so he could gauge which jelly was which, and how strong they were. Not that he had expected to lose in the first round, but he should have definitely been more careful when he saw that glint in the pink monster’s eye. Said monster gestured to the plate on the coffee table and Honey paused, trying to see if he could tell which jelly had the alcohol in them. They all had a little sparkly glow, but that could be because they were magic food. Using his magic, he levitated one of the less opaque ones. Surely those were safe.

Honey wasn’t much for drinking. He didn’t really like the taste of most alcohol and usually just ended up watching over his Queen while she drank, sometimes maybe stealing a sip or two, but nothing much. As a general rule, he liked to keep his head about him, especially since he had realized his feelings for his human. He hadn’t trusted himself not to say or do things that would have made things awkward… In retrospect, he didn’t see how he could have made things worse.

He could feel the others watching him as the wiggly cube hovered in front of him, surrounded in tangerine colored magic. With a resolved huff, he flicked his finger and the jelly flew past his teeth. It was rather large for the size of his mouth but its magic dissolved quickly and he felt it wrap around his soul like liquid fire. The suddenness of it made him sputter and he choked a bit while the bird chuckled smugly.

“What the heck!” he exclaimed when he could feel his tongue again. “How much did you put in there?”

There was a round of laughter that even his Queen had a hard time holding back if the shaking under him was anything to go by. “Oh gosh, Honey Bee, are you ok?” she asked, her worry hindered by her giggling.

Honey forced himself to shake it off and waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine, but you bird brain, I’m gonna-”

“Alright next round!” Vivi interrupted him, offering the pack of cards to Lexy again.

He should have passed. Really. He should have given himself the chance to digest the first shot, but the smirk of the damn bird’s face made him pick up a card when it was presented to him and once again, he ended up picking one of the highest cards but this time, he was up against Lexy.

“Red eight,” he chose when he was asked to bet on the next card. They had just picked the seven of diamonds, if he chose something close, maybe he had less chances of getting it wrong.

Lexy thought for a second and chose red five. Honey couldn’t help but grit his teeth slightly as V took her sweet time to reveal the next card.

“Two of spades! You’re off to a bad start, Bug. Leave some for us too, you know?”

Honey groaned and slumped defeatedly in the lap of his human. He glanced at the jellies and perked up when a thought suddenly came to him. This was ok! Last time he had picked a clear looking jelly, if those were the spiked ones, then the more opaque ones were bound to be the regular. His original idea was still valid, just that he hadn’t expected to be the one trying them out himself, especially not twice in a row. With more conviction, he tossed the new jelly in his mouth.

The alcohol hit him like a mace.

His soul was burning up and he let out a low groan as the sensation ran through him. ‘Bird brain, you minx’ he screamed internally. They were all the same, the coloration didn’t matter at all! The bird laughed evilly.

Jake handed him a glass of water, which he shakingly took, ignoring the giggles around him. His Queen also offered him a couple of chips and a few comforting strokes on his back but reasonably, he sat out the rest of the game, comfortably resting against his beautiful human until his mind started to clear, leaving only a light buzz around his soul. After a while, he joined in on the laughter as Lexy lost her third bet, but fortunately for her, she managed to pick a regular jelly, doing a little victory dance to demonstrate her success. From time to time, there was a knock at the door, and Vivi left to greet a group of kids that cheered and requested candies. The bird monster happily obliged before returning to their guests. By the time they got through the entire pack of cards twice and the time for kids to be outside had passed, all of them had had their fair share of the traitorous jellies and were warmed up for the rest of their evening.

To humans, monster liquor usually worked just as any other liquor did, if only a bit stronger, but to monsters, it was like eating a ton of monster candies, giving them a surge of magic that overloaded their own. Not unlike humans who abuse alcohol, there was such a thing as ‘drinking too much’, but it normally just meant a strong discomfort, feeling very warm and maybe a bit woozy. Of course, it also untied the tongues, which was most likely what the bird brain had had in mind by starting off with this game.

He had the opportunity to see the extent of it when they used the same pack of playing cards to play a round of Old Maid, which had devolved into Lexy trying to not so subtly hide the unwanted card behind the couch cushion. 

“Another drinking game?” Honey asked, still a little dazed. Even after they had all taken a break and eaten a bit while talking, he could still feel the remains of the jelly shots in his soul. Not enough that it was making him dizzy anymore though. It was actually rather pleasant, like being in a warm bath.

“Yeah,” the pink bird smiled mischievously back at him as they all returned to the living room. He noted approvingly that his Queen had gotten herself a tall glass of water as well. “Wanna join?”

Her husband soon followed in with a couple of colorful bottles Honey recognized as a brand of monster liquor. The living room was starting to look more like the back of a bar’s counter and less like a... living room. They all settled back in their seats, with the exception of Lexy who joined Jake and Vivi on the large couch, leaving the love seat to the other girl and her bitty. Honey, being already quite warm with the excess magic, opted to sit on the other side of the love seat, propped against the armrest and facing his lovely butterfly clad woman. Stars she was beautiful like this. Realizing he had spaced out staring at her, he cleared his throat, answering the question.

“Alright, I’m in,” he announced confidently, much to his Queen surprise apparently as she raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s the game? Let me guess, Truth or Dare?”

“Pfffffffffffffffft,” Lexy blew raspberries in response. “Lame.”

“Also, the fun in Truth or Dare is the dare. If the only consequence is having to take a shot, what’s the fun in that?” added Vi, nodding in approbation with her winged arms crossed in front of her. The hat on her head shifted slightly. “Which is why I thought of another traditional party game.” She twirled once, spreading her wings ceremonially as she stopped, ignoring the point end of her hat tilting dangerously to the side as she announced, “We are playing... Never Have I Ever!”

The pink monster sat down on the couch next to her husband who had monopolized his seat so far. She poured all of them a shot before raising hers in a toast. Honey was glad to see she had only filled his only up to a quarter. For lack of having bitty sized shot glass, at least she wasn’t planning on alcohol poisoning him… yet. 

They all tilted their heads back and honey felt the monster liquor flow through him like a warm wave all the way down to the tip of his tiny toes. He set the glass back on the table with a woody clank. Next to him, his queen was fanning herself with a hand, eyes watering at the liquor’s strength.

“Wow! tout un kick!” commented Lexy, wiping her mouth. 

The other two giggled and Vi’s husband leaned back on the couch, apparently unperturbed.

Raising her empty glass, Vivi then explained the rules. 

“For those who might not be familiar with the game, here’s how it goes. One by one, we will declare something we have never done. If someone has done whatever it is, they have to take a shot. If nobody else has done it, then you have to take the shot.” 

There was a round of approbating noise. Honey tried to push away the dark thoughts suddenly coming up to him. All of them were bound to have experienced a lot more than he had, being able to go out, work, shop… Well maybe it was a good thing. that meant he would not be drinking much, if at all during this game. He glanced at the woman sitting next to him. His beautiful, colorful, lovely woman. This was going to be the occasion to find out even more about her and that thought alone was making his soul warmer than the jellies.

His thoughts were interrupted by Vivi clearing her throat. Honey looked up to her and found her smirking again. Damn that bird! She had caught him staring again, hadn’t she? He narrowed his sockets at her, a plan starting to form in his mind.

“So who wants to go first?” Jake asked casually, breaking the staring contest he was having with the other monster.

“Oh me first!” Lexy shouted enthusiastically. After a pause, she looked pointedly at Jake. “Never I have ever... made a prank phone call.” 

Jake chuckled and reached for his glass. Of course he would have done that, and from the look Lexy was giving him, Honey had no trouble figuring out who had been on the other side of the line at that time. The pink bird shook her head.

“Why am I not surprised?”

Jake jerked his head back and set his glass back on the table before giving Lexy a look. “That was a low blow Xee.”

“Tout est juste en amour et à la guerre~” she sing sang with a smug smile. “Vi, you go next.”

“Never I have ever... changed a tire,” the bird said pensively.

Jake reached for the bottle to refill his glass, followed by Lexy. After a shared look, they raised their glasses to each other and drank. Honey couldn’t hold his chuckle at the two. In mere seconds, they had gone from antagonizing each other to bonding over their common fate, it was just stupid funny. 

“Miss butterfly, if you will,” Vi said as she gestured to her friend to be next. 

“Aw man, all I can think of is stuff I did, not the other way around.” She paused for a moment. Honey could almost see her mind reeling. 

Of course there were outrageous things she had never done for sure, like killing or even committing a serious crime, or even maybe extreme sports like bungee jumping, but with the way the game went, if none of them had done it either, she'd be the one drinking. It was about finding things others had probably done that she hadn’t. As if looking for an answer, she turned to him and at that very moment, her line of thinking seemed to shift drastically. He watched as her cheeks started to flush, her lips pursed into a sheepish smile. He could feel a new kind of heat spreading to his own face. Stars, was she thinking about everything she hadn’t done… with him?

“Never have I ever…” she started, her gaze still locked with his. She slowly pried herself away from his sockets with her trailing words. “Used a dating app,” she finally let out, fixing her gaze on Vivi instead. The bird raised a feathery brow at her.

“You haven’t, huh?” And there it was again, that stupid smirk on her beak. She had been, after all, the one who had helped her set up an account a few weeks ago. That meant she either thought his Queen was lying - preposterous! or the fact she hadn’t ended up using the thing meant something entirely different. From the knowing grin pulling on her face, it was easy to tell which it was. Luckily, before anyone could pick up on her reaction, the bird’s face switched to a pensive one. “Mmmh, come to think of it, I did though.”

The bird bent to pick up her shot glass, filling it with a purple sparkly liquor with a wink to her gawking husband, she tilted her head back in one swift motion. Honey couldn’t help but chuckle. that was going to be one heck of a conversation for them later it seems!

Vivi set the glass back in front of her before pointing at Honey with a feathery finger, “Your turn Bug.”

Honey leaned back, linking his hand behind his skull. “Easy. Never have I ever... Gotten married.”

There was a protest coming from the other three and his Queen giggled as they all poured themselves another glass. It had been a safe bet to have everyone drink except them and he would keep them coming, keeping his Queen safe while everyone else would lose their mind, especially Vivi. Such a great plan to get back at the bird brain for sneaking him those looks. And so he did. With every round, Lexy, Vivi and Jake grew more giddy as the shots came in. Of course, that didn’t mean he himself was safe and at some point, they all seem to think he wasn’t getting his share and tried to find things he himself had done they hadn’t, just to try and make him drink. Funnily enough, most of the time, it turned against them and they had to drink themselves. They did get him a few times though, and slowly, he felt himself less vigilant with both his questions and his answers.

“Never have I ever worn someone else’s underwear,” Jake offered, taking a sip of water.

Everyone looked at each other, waiting, but then, to Jake’s own astonishment, Lexy was the one who picked up her drink.

“Seriously?” Honey asked, a grin tugging as his teeth.

Lexy threw her head back, drinking before looking at the rest of them. “What? I was 8 and I forgot to bring a change of clothes at a sleepover.”

“Why not just wear the same as the last day?” His Queen said, smoothing out the colorful wig pattern of her dress.

Everyone looked at her in slight disgust.

“Oh come on, which is worse really?” she then paused, quickly looking for her own statement to change the subject. “Never have I ever…” his Queen hesitated for just over a second, “taken a sexy selfie.”

“Lies... every selfie you take is a sexy one,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Lexy choked on her glass of water while the hosting couple lost themselves into laughter. V reached for a box of tissue nearby and offered it to her sputtering friend. Blushing heavily at his words, both Honey and his Queen looked away embarrassingly. 

Without realizing, Honey had, with that comment, also inadvertently shifted the whole game.

“Never have I ever…” started Jake with renewed interest, “been to a sex shop.” To which both Vi and Lexy drank to.

Honey side glanced to his right. Of course, he had never gone, but he knew very well _she_ had more than enough evidence in the bottom drawer of her nightstand for it not to apply to her. To his surprise however, she only grinned and sat back, crossing her arms. Upon noticing the glare she was getting of both girls and the skeptical look the two males in the room gave her, she simply shrugged.

“I buy mine online, so technically, I’m not lying.”

Holy crap, the loophole! Honey couldn’t hold his howler of laughter at the jaws collectively dropping. Lexy sputtered then laughed loudly. “Pourquoi j’ai pas dis la même chose! I could have gotten away with it too.” She took a long sip of water to calm down before continuing forward with her own affirmation. “Ok, Never have I ever... 

Throughout the next half an hour or so, things had devolved into almost personal inquiries. At some point, the blush on his cheek bones had become so constant, part of him thought it’d never go away. Luckily, the entire group was suffering the same fate. Or perhaps the monster liquor was to blame for this too. He did get to learn quite a few things though.

Never had Vivi ever had sex in a public place.

Never had Lexy ever roleplayed - though she promptly added with a wink “Mais c’est juste une question de temps,” whatever that meant...

Never had his Queen walked in on a fornicating couple.

Never had Jake had ever been on the receiving end. 

He suspected that last once had been a direct attack to all the girls present, which they immediately called him out for. Through it all, Honey had somehow managed to be cautious about his answers, finding mental loopholes so he wouldn’t have to admit certain things. This was to get out of drinking as much as possible of course, but also preserve what little dignity he had in regards to his ‘not-girlfriend with possible less platonic dispositions’. He didn’t want to scare her off, nor did he want to make it look like he had more experience than he actually did. Being a bitty meant things were different for him in the past, and some things could easily be misinterpreted, so he kept quiet.

She, on the other hand, was becoming bolder with each shot she took. Where she was usually reserved when it came to personal subjects, she had gradually grown to comment and cheer each time a new kink came up. He liked seeing her this happy, enjoying herself freely in good company, and he was right there with her. As time went on, he felt the need to cuddle closer to her on the love seat. He got the impression the feeling was mutual when, while nobody was paying attention, she had even shifted in her seat so that one of her feet was rubbing against his leg. After the first touch, he had glanced up at her, surprised to find her side-eyeing him with a smirk on her lips as she took a long sip from her glass of water, checking if he had noticed her gesture. And boy had he noticed!

With a subtle stretch, Honey scooched a little closer and pulled the edge of one of the butterfly wings over both her feet and part of his lap like a blanket, effectively hiding the point of contact between them, and started running his hand on the top of her stocking clad foot. He felt her toes curl ticklishly against him, but she didn’t pull away. The nylon felt smooth under his phalanges, not as smooth as her skin would of course, but it was rather pleasant.

The game had subsided into lively conversation, the ‘never’ statement spaced out more and more like everyone had forgotten they were playing the game. During those long pauses, Honey found himself dozing off a bit, lulled to sleep by his continuing caressing of her foot while her toes did the same to his femur. It felt a little weird to have to hide it. Not only because he knew she wasn’t super comfortable with public displays of affection, but also because what they had was… He had to remind himself they weren’t actually going out, even if the amount of cuddling they had done so far wasn’t exactly what you’d expect of a non official relationship. In truth, he was pretty sure they were acting, at least when it was just the two of them, more like a couple than just ‘friends with benefits’. Not that he was going to tell her that.

“You falling asleep on us, Bug?”

Honey startled and straightened himself, fighting his reflex to fling his hand off his Queen’s foot. The gesture would have looked even more suspicious than if he simply left it there, immobile under the pan of her dress.

“Well he is a Lil bro, so j’imagine que c’est normal non? Quoique maintenant que j’y pense...” The words slurred a bit as she spoke. She had been doing that a lot more as the evening went on, that and using that native language of hers. Lexy raised her glass to the pair of them and a prying smile appeared on her lips. “Je suis curieuse de savoir si notre papillonne est plus audacieuse qu’elle laisse paraître. Never have I ever…” she added, looking directly at his Queen, “slept with someone I wasn’t officially going out with!”

His fingers froze on the suddenly stiff foot. “I... err…” he heard her utter.

Honey turned to glare at the girl. What the heck? Lexy, you stupid drunk fox! Why did she have to aim that question at her like that? It would have been easy to just stay quiet if the question had been thrown at random and to the entire group, but even Honey could tell how uncomfortable his Queen was getting, being so openly targeted like that. 

Honey concentrated on the nosy girl’s chest, looking to see her intentions. Her soul appeared as a branching tree, with ribbons tied to every branch. They all fluttered in an invisible breeze and Honey could feel the inebriated amusement shining through her. The branches glowed a soft deep orange. There was no ill intent coming from her, but the glow was wavering a bit, like it was rendered unstable by the liquor she had swallowed over the evening. Maybe it was just because she was tipsy after all. Honey still couldn’t help a small annoyed groan rising in him.

A feathery movement caught his attention and he glanced at the monster. The pink pupils behind Vi’s glasses slowly trailed toward his right. When he followed her gaze, he found his Queen, biting her lips nervously, her eyes suddenly moving left and right, betraying her subtle search for an escape. After just a second, his socket fell on the bird monster again. She had shifted her attention back to him, eyes wide with unspoken words.

_‘What are you waiting for, Bug? Do something!'_

Honey reached for his shot glass, miraculously managing to grab it without shaking. Oh please let them buy into it... Purposefully slow, he poured liquor in both their glasses, trying to ignore the appalled gasp Lexy let out, and offered his lady her glass like it was the most normal thing in the world. She looked at him, confused if not shocked, but he slapped on his best nonchalant grin and raised his glass toward her. 

“Of course we do, and all the time.” He winked at her. “Bitty requirement.”

Lexy let out a disappointed whine. “Aaah! J’ai failli me faire avoir!”

Honey ignored her and locked eyes with his beautiful Queen, her face visibly relaxing as she looked back at him. Her cheeks were still rosy, looking almost bashful when she lowered her gaze, murmuring a soft ‘thank you’ before clinking her glass with his. The burn of the liquor was nothing compared to the heat he felt looking at her, a wave of protectiveness washing over him. Stars he loved her.

“Alright, last one! Then I say we all settle down to watch the movie!” Vivi announced as she reached for the liquor bottle. To Honey’s surprise, she refilled everyone’s glasses before raising her own and looked all around, declaring, “Never I have ever… lied in this game!” 

Immediately getting the idea, Jake, Honey, quickly followed by the two girls all raised their glasses and everyone took their shot before all bursting into fits of laughter. Of course, there would be no question as to what they had each lied about.

Way to go, bird brain.

  
  


****

  
  


The movie was a welcomed delight of relative silence after all the talking that had been done in the early evening. All five of them were tucked in the couches. Jake with his wife nestled under his arm, her witch hat discarded in favor of resting her head against his chest under a dark blue blanket. Lexy with a giant bowl of popcorn balanced in her lap and her phone on silent mode nearby; Apparently, the hubby had started texting her for help in regard to sugar hyped children management. And finally Honey and his Queen, comfortably huddled together in the love seat, a pale baby pink blanket wrapped around them both.

Unfortunately for the long featured selected, the special effects from 25 years ago had not aged well. Although it wasn’t a bad movie per say, it had a lot of unnecessary suspense. also, as Jake had mentioned before, and although he could feel it was trying real hard to be, the movie wasn’t scary. It didn’t stop the human holding him in front of her to squeeze him a little tighter when the movie made it a point to let its audience suspect a jumpscare but Honey didn’t mind, quite the opposite actually. It was during one of those scenes that Vivi let out a deafening screech that was echoed by the surprised screams of the girls as the popcorn bowl flipped over in the motion.

“Jake! You pranking bustard!”

“What? What happened?!" Lexy stared at the couple as Vivi slapped her husband’s arm, making him chuckle even more. Honey wasn’t sure how much damage her feathery punch could do, but the man did not seem worried in the least.

“Something buzzed under my seat and scared the fluff out of me!” She gratified him with another slap. “I knew you were up to something when you didn’t want to switch places, you dodo!”

The man was utterly unrepentant and still chuckling evilly as the monster crossed her arms and threw herself back onto his side, attempting to squash him under her weight while the others continued to laugh. Honey gave the man an approving thumb up which he reciprocated before wrapping his arms around his wife and whispering something in her ear. Honey couldn’t make out what he had said, but the bird quickly seemed to be somewhat pacified. 

Lexy proceeded to pick up the fallen popcorn around her and Jake offered to make more. Honey watched the foxy girl scoop up the treats on the couch and was a little surprised his Queen had not offered to help immediately, instead just staying put, giggling at their antics. Maybe it was because he was in her lap; he had seen her hold back on getting up when Prince or Tyrant had been sleeping on her after all.

He was about to get up to allow her to move when his thoughts were cut short by the sensation of the zipper of his jumpsuit sliding down his back, allowing warm and soft fingers to slip through and stroke the underside of his ribcage. She nuzzled him closer under their blanket, wrapping it tighter around them as she brushed her cheek against his, her nose tickling his cheek bones like he was a soft pillow. The hug only lasted a few seconds and was probably meant more as a way to hide her shifting her hold around his spine while keeping them covered; to an unknowing onlooker, she was just hugging her bitty tightly and getting comfortable in their seat. There was only a slight hesitation in her first touches, as if she was fighting herself, or asking permission. Honey could tell this was her tipsy cuddly side showing up at last. To be honest, he hadn’t expected it to manifest since they weren’t at home but apparently the anonymity of their covers made her feel it was safe enough to indulge herself. He swallowed a groan rising in his throat but arched his spine in her hand, silently telling her he didn’t mind the contact... on the contrary!

When she felt him respond positively, her caresses grew a little bolder, reaching further around his ribcage to touch his sternum, tracing it down to feel the bottom tip before following the edges of his lower rib back toward his spine. It wasn’t that her touches were particularly erotic in nature, although he had to remind himself that quite a few times by the end of the movie, but Honey felt as if she was purposefully toying with him. At times, she was simply petting him, like she would her cats on a late evening of relaxation, then out of nowhere, she’d slip her finger tips in between his ribs, pressing and rubbing them like she was mapping the texture of his bones. He could feel little sparks of smug amusement from her soul behind him when he bit back a noise and would voluntarily yawn and stretch to angle his body better for her. At one point, he temptively looked up at her, wondering if she was aware of what she was doing to him. He found her looking forward, relaxed and somewhat focused on what was happening in the movie. After a few seconds however, she glanced down at him, her fingers pausing in their exploration. There were no words, but she maintained eye contact until he pressed his hand on hers on top of his clothes, urging her to continue as he realigned himself so he could hide his flushed face in the crook of her arm. He hoped the sigh coming out of him sounded like a sleepy whine to the other occupants in the room, his toes curling a bit when she resumed her caresses, pinching his spine in that massaging way he loved so much. With a little luck, his new position would make it look like he had gone to sleep while in fact, he was fighting with himself not to moan into the blanket.

The rest of the movie was a blur. Something about villagers rising up against the threat, a plan to plant a bomb, a brick wall to keep mind reading children out of their head, he really didn’t care that much. Lost to the caresses on his body, Honey couldn’t focus. The tender attention was a strange mix, oddly relaxing yet keeping him on edge. Part of him wanted her to stop, worried they were being inappropriate, while another part couldn’t be bothered to care and wanted to let his magic form and guide her hand towards it. She did slip her hand down further, gentle stroking circles going around his iliac crest and fingering the joint between his femur and his pelvis. She couldn’t really go further down given the restrictiveness of his jumpsuit and of course, taking it off was out of the question but that didn’t stop the tingling from spreading all over his bones.

Said tingling came to a sudden stop when conversation erupted in the room. Comments on the movies, impression and opinions on the actor’s play as the credits rolled up the screen.

“Well that was abrupt,” commented Lexy, sipping the rest of her Coke… or was it Rum and Coke?

“Wish we could have seen the other villages too, or maybe a survivor from one of them?” Vivi chimed in.

“Would have been better than to just announce there were other children out there without showing anything,” Jake added.

“Well that would have probably changed a lot of the movie. Maybe it would have made it longer. A shame really.”

All turned to look at the butterfly clad girl holding him. Honey stifled, suddenly a little worried to have the attention of everyone their way. He pulled the blanket higher on him, just in case.

“Wait, did you actually like that movie?” Lexy asked, sounding a little concerned.

“I did,” she admitted without shame. “Good pick, Jake.”

The couple giggled lightly as Lexy shrugged, apparently willingly embracing her colleague's weird taste in movies. With a quick glance at the time, it was agreed that it was bedtime for everyone. Honey was kind of glad for it. He had managed to stay awake for the whole evening and the lack of his usual naps was starting to catch up with him, not to mention the endearing massage he had just gotten. Having it suddenly stop was like coming down from an adrenaline rush, leaving him warm and limp in his Queen’s lap.

Among the noise of shuffling and the yawns coming from the others, Honey felt the zipper on his back discreetly closing back up and he looked up again to see his Queen giving him a questioning look. She lifted the blanket slightly, looking down at his form then back at his face. 

‘You good?’ she seemed to ask.

‘Heh, not glowing yet, don’t worry’ he silently answered with a knowing smirk.

She smiled back at him before pushing the blanket away, allowing him to get up.

  
  


The clean up was quickly wrapped up and the hosts gave them a quick run of the house, showing them where the bathrooms were and where to find extra blankets if they needed them, before leading them to their respective room. Honey hadn’t realized how huge the house was. Sure, on the first floor he knew there was the kitchen, possibly a dining room and the living room, but he didn’t expect them to actually have two guest rooms. Well to be honest, one was more of a well organized storage room. Coming up the stairs, there was the bathroom, complete with a giant bathtub and a shower, then turning left they followed the corridor that ran the entire length of the house. The first door on the right was the guest room where Honey and his Queen would be staying. A little further to the left was the library - who the hell has a library in their home!? - and at the end of the corridor two doors faced each other. The one on the right to the storage room, where a bed had been prepared for Lexy and the other led to the attic, when the couple had the master nest room. And after each wishing the others a good night, everyone went their separate ways and when the door finally closed behind them, Honey let out a long exhausted sigh.

“Stars, I am beat,” he announced, dropping face first into the bed lined against the left wall.

He heard a little hum from behind him and turned to look at the door. His queen was still leaned against the door, her beautiful makeup had blurred slightly over the evening and her dress a little ruffled, but looking as wonderful as ever. His eyes trailed down her generous hips, advantaged by the cut of her dress flowing colorfully down her thighs. She rubbed the flat of her left foot on her right ankle, an hesitating gesture that brought his attention back to her face. She was looking at him, biting her lower lip in a feeling-guilty-yet-not-guilty kind of way. He flipped on his back, maintaining eye contact with her. She was still very tipsy. Her leaning on the door for support was proof of that, and he hadn’t missed the slight sway in her step as they had gone up the stairs. They may have been a little drunk earlier, but they since then had had plenty of time and water to shimmer it down to a gentle buzz. 

“Are you mad? Was it too much?” she finally asked. There was a little spark in her eye that told him she already knew the answer.

“Not at all,” he still said, raising himself to lean back on his elbows.

She glanced behind her, looking for something, then apparently finding it, she looked back at him. Honey had sworn off reading her soul, but she was literally dripping mischief and it was doing something to his magic. They stayed like this for a moment, eyeing each other, silently taking the other in. He really liked the way she was looking at him, biting her lower lips like she was hesitating on doing something bad... or something worse. He also liked the way her toes were curling and uncurling on the carpeted floor, reminding him of how she had used those to touch him earlier, unable to help herself despite being in public. But the innocent toe touching had not been enough. She had wanted more.

He kind of wanted more too.

As if hearing his thoughts, she leaned away from the door, making her way to the bed as she took off the black vest covering her shoulders. She lazily threw the vest on their bags and climbed in bed, slowly crawling up to him until she was right on top of him. Their faces were so close, he could smell the remnant of her perfume. It was flowery, perfect for his Butterfly Queen. With two fingers, he tilted her chin up, guiding her lips toward his in a sweet kiss. There was something really enticing about having her on top of him like that. He felt safe, sheltered, yet at her mercy, their size difference made abundantly clear when she leaned on her forearms to kiss him deeper. He could feel her fingers on the top of his skull, her breasts pressing against his hips. They were heavy on him but not in a bad way. It was like sinking into warm and soft pillows. With a little nudge of her head, she coaxed a moan out of him, and her tongue slipped past his teeth, demanding and giving all at once. He tasted her, slowly and methodically, lapping her taste buds, his fingers trailing up her jaw until they reached the hairline behind her ear. Each movement of her tongue on his was like a wave of hot water washing over his body. It kept rocking him, lifting his soul until he felt it was going to just pop out. He groaned and let go of her with a wet smack, leaving the both of them breathless as they pressed their forehead together.

“You taste like cherry liquor,” he commented with a teasing smirk.

“Mmh… I should probably go wash my teeth…”

Just as she went to get up, he caught her lips again, pulling her back down with a disapproving grunt. “Didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

She smiled against his teeth, kissing him again. Which was great and all, but he also missed her fingers on him. He wanted her to touch him again. Slowly, he pulled away from the kisses.

“You know…” she continued, dragging her hand down across his front, pressing the fabric against his heated bones. “I did think about something earlier.”

“Before or after you started fondling my bones under the covers?” He replied with a grin. 

She didn’t pull her hand away, so he knew she hadn’t taken it as a reproach. On the contrary, she fiddled with the pressure buttons of the detachable hood on his suit, as if wondering what strength she could use to pull on them without tearing. The thought of getting out the suit was inviting. She could do so much more than just caress the back of his ribs if it was off. Thinking back on that, he added with a lustful gaze: 

“You really riled me up earlier, you know that?”

She hummed innocently, her fingers playing with the hood of his costume. She thoughtfully smoothed the yellow petals between her fingers. “I couldn’t really help myself,” she finally admitted, not looking the least guilty. “Was it bad?”

“I’m not complaining,” he smirked. “But now that we are alone, how about you help me out of this so you can help yourself plenty?”

“My, my, Honey Bee,” she purred playfully. “Is my little flower so eager to show me his stem?” She punctuated her question with a downward look and an impossibly sexy lick of her lips that rattled his bones.

“Stars, my Queen…” How could a pun sound so tantalizing?

He watched her fingers trail down his body, tracing his ribs, dipping down and circling his hip bone. She was moving so slowly, so purposefully, going down his leg before coming back up and dragging her thumb against his clothed pelvis.

“I really like the costume you chose for me tonight.” As she spoke her hands reached back around and pulled the zipper down his back. 

He barely heard it, the hushed zipping sound made short by the thumping of his soul resounding in his skull. She leaned forward once more, kissing his jaw, her fingers fumbling around a bit so she could tug the suit off his shoulders, leaving him bare for her. Before he could try and catch her lips again, she angled her face away to lick his neck, where she had learned how sensitive he was. Her lips closed on his vertebrae and Honey groaned a low curse as she gently sucked the spot. His fingers shot up to her cheek, both urging her to stop and to keep going. She was pressing all the right buttons, hitting all of his sweet spots and his magic was reacting fervently. It was getting hard for him to control his voice. 

The hands at his back pulled down on the jumpsuit, silently asking him to arch his back so she could slip it down further, which he gladly obliged to, lifting his hips when the fabric caught on there as well. He could feel the heat in his cheek bones - heck, on his entire face! as she finally pulled the suit off him, blindly throwing in the general direction of their bags. Her deed done, she pulled away from his neck to look down at his naked form. He could feel his joints glowing, something he had managed to keep under control when they were on the couch, but with her being so bold right now, he didn’t have it in him to stop himself, not that could if he wanted to. He was gradually being reduced to a panting mess, by her mouth and fingers alone.

He watched with bated breath as she licked her lips again. The makeup around her eyes was already smudged a little by his frantic grabbing. As she was looking down at him, she suddenly seemed to remember she had started saying something earlier. She gave him a dangerous smile before resuming. 

“You made me a butterfly and I made you a flower, quite appropriate, wouldn’t you think? I can’t stop thinking about it.” 

“Uh-huh,” Honey absently nodded, entranced by the growing hunger in her eyes. Any other coherent words were nowhere to be found in his mind.

“Because...” She bent back down on him, pressing her lips to the center of his sternum. The contact made him hiss pleasurably, his chest rising to follow when she pulled back to place another sweet kiss an inch lower, then another… then another, punctuating her kisses with words. “Do you know... what butterflies... do... to flowers... my sweet Honey Bee?”

The only sound that came out of him was a wet gasp as her lips closed on his pelvic symphysis. Whatever she was saying, he didn’t want it to stop, happy to just have his Queen caress him forever. The magic pooling in his pelvis flared up and Honey whined, painfully trying his best not to let it form. This was the most intense cuddly they’ve ever done - thank the stars for the booze! and he feared it would put her off if he was to suddenly pull his dick out, especially being this close to it. He looked down, part aroused, part strained. He grasped the bed sheets, feet digging in the mattress from the effort. 

But it was a lost cause.

Her tongue curled under the bone, rubbing the joint below the arch on the front of his pelvis and shivers ran up his spine like an electrical shock. He let out a gasp as his length sprang up against her cheek with a wet slap, firm and warm, its glow suddenly filling the room with sunset colors. He let his skull fall back onto the mattress with a resigned grunt.

“I’m sorry my Queen, give me a moment…” he apologized, closing his socket to concentrate on dissipating his magic. He could still feel her hot breath on him, having stopped moving probably in shock. Maybe if he could get it under control, she would touch him again. The thought was making it even harder for him to focus. 

“Honey Bee~,” she crooned, calling for his attention. It was a whisper, like a murmured secret in his ear. “Color,” she said in another whisper, the breath she let out rolling onto him, surrounding his shaft in warmth. 

Painstakingly, he lifted his head again, to lock gaze with her again. She was looking up at him, her mouth fully open, her tongue sticking out mere inches away from his cock, ready for a first lick. The sight left him breathless, shocked and incredibly turned on.

His fingers grasped at the bed again, his body suddenly a lot stiffer than it was a few moments ago. Seeing as he was not responding, she tilted her head, her hand caressing his iliac crest gently, jolting his mind to start working again.

“Green!” he wheezed out. Of course green! Holy fucking shit!

Her lips pulled into a heated smile and without waiting any longer, she pressed the flat of her tongue on him. Her breath was hot, her tongue wet and flexible, wrapping around him as she trailed it up his length. She moved slowly, like she was taking the first lick of the last ice cream cone on earth, enjoying it inch by inch. Honey watched on, entranced. She was actually doing this! How many times had he fantasized about it, his hand stroking his cock, thinking of her wet tongue. The sight alone was making him throb like he never had before.

She worked her way up, her mouth wide and hot before closing her lips in a sweet kiss on the glans. She nuzzled into it, the side of her nose rubbing against the entire length as she returned her attention to the base. He could tell she was not experienced at this. She was feeling her way around him, testing, exploring, and she seemed more interested in licking his bone than taking care of his shaft, but every touch, every flick of her tongue was a taste of paradise to him. Eventually, her lips returned to the base of his cock and she sucked, dragging her lips upward. She was so big on him, the force of the suction so strong, he could only grit his teeth to keep quiet. He shouldn’t be making noise, couldn’t! He had to hold back but fuck!

She looked up at him, playfully flicking her tongue around the tip and hummed happily. He must have looked like a mess for her to look so proud of herself like this. He wanted to tell her how fucking awesome she was, but he was afraid of letting his voice out. Instead, he focused all of his love for her into his sockets, gazing upon her with lust and admiration. She seemed to understand his silent praise and blushed, her tongue giving him some smaller licks while she composed herself. She shimmied himself into a better angle, hiking her shoulder a bit and resting on her forearms, hands slipping under him to hold his hips in place. She gave him a last look from below her lashes then angled her head down and swallowed him whole. 

Honey let out a loud gasp at the sudden sensation surrounding him. Stars she was so warm! and wet! Her lips were back on his pelvis and the tip of his cock hit the roof of her mouth, rubbing all the way as she forced herself to take him deep, pressing her lips harder on his pelvis like he was trying to eat it up as well. He felt the tip hit something deep in her throat and she swallowed loudly around him. The pressure was pulling on him, almost painfully and when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, she hallowed her cheek and he felt himself be squeezed tightly in the vacuum. 

“S-Shit!” He swore, arching his spine. His fingers flew toward her head, pulling at her hair like a desperate man, trying to pry his hips away. It was too much! She was being too rough, too tight, too fast! 

Luckily for him, it only lasted a few seconds. Having felt him try to pull himself out, she released the pressure and popped her mouth open, letting him slip out with a wet smack. She quickly backed away, panting a bit. Her lips trailed softly down on shin like a silent apology, her eyes shifting guiltily away. He felt her fingers rub soothing circles on his hip bones and he relaxed into the touch, ironically relieved yet craving that sweet pressure again.

His chest was heaving, his soul flipping in his chest with a mix of excitement and confusion. What was she thinking, going down on him so suddenly like that? There was something incredibly hot about the way she had been so eager, but there was no way he would have lasted at that pace. 

“My Queen,” he panted, his tone cajoling as his fingers traced the side of her face, making her look up. 

She looked back at him and he saw the apprehension in her eyes. She was so worried he would tell her to stop, that she was doing a bad job. But that was the thing, wasn’t it? She just didn’t know; she was so eager to please him, but had probably never done something like this before. He smiled down at her. A loving smile, encouraging and patient. 

“Go easy on me, will you? Take your time.”

She nodded and still glanced away in shame, but before he could worry about her giving up or backing away, she placed a delicate kiss on the inside of his left femur. He let out a small pleasurable sigh and watched her slowly regain her confidence, willing to give it another shot. She trailed apologetic kisses on his leg on her way back to his shaft. When she reached the base again, she gave the full length another lick before taking him back in her mouth. This time however, she was delicate, slow, using her tongue to add pressure instead of sucking hard like she had before. He felt it twirl around him, licking, pressing, tasting him fully while she started bobbing her head up and down on him. His fingers were back in her hair, but this time, they were relaxed, following the movement of her head without force. He let out a low groan, tilting his head back as to better enjoy the feeling of her on him.

“Y-eah... like that Baby,” he whispered between two moans. “Slow and steady… nng... Stars, you’re amazing.”

She hummed happily around him, keeping her rhythm slow and steady, the pressure deliciously perfect now that she had had some direction. This was way better. He enjoyed the feeling of her wet mouth massaging him and with the way she was letting out a small moan every time she moved, it sounded like she was enjoying herself as well. For a moment, he wondered if her fingers weren’t slipped in her own panties, but he could feel both her hands on his hips, thumbs stroking his iliac crest with dedicated attention. Looking down again, he was met with the loveliest of pictures. He watched on as the glowing shaft disappeared and reappeared from between her lips, gradually growing wetter. He wanted to engrave each little detail in his mind. The image of her head moving on him, the feeling of her lips wrapped around his girth, the wet sloshing sound that was filling the quiet room, the little noise she made when she’d up the tempo for a moment before falling back to her slower pace, the way her hips were swaying slightly behind her like she was rocked by some invisible caresses. With another glance down at her face, he saw she had closed her eyes, lost in her avid ministrations on his cock like she was in a trance. She was so beautiful like this.

“That’s… ha… such a good girl,” he encouraged her, whispering her name along with soft praises. Praises to which she responded by sucking him a little harder, pulling a little more on him but not enough to hurt him. 

Precum leaked heavily onto her tongue only to be swallowed with growing gusto and a new delicious moan coming from her throat. Her mouth was growing wetter and wetter, the excited humming becoming almost permanent on him as she felt him pulse wantonly against her tongue. Steadily, he could feel the coil inside him wind up, tightening a little more every time she tempted a little added pressure. 

“Hah… I’m almost there... my Queen..”

She hummed approvingly and doubled down her attention on her movement. Each bob of her head taking him deeper, the pressure on her tongue increasing as she moved up, pulling on his magic, coaxing it out. Her fingers were ravaging his bones, pressing sweet circles and caressing their way up and down his femur then up his hips bone to brush against his spine. His phalanges twisted in the bedsheets when she held him deep inside her mouth, swallowing around him. The pressure was becoming too much, but this time he was so wound up it just made him climb further up to his climax. The last tiny piece of brain he had left made him bite his hand to keep him from yelling out, the rest of his body convulsing, his head thrown back into the mattress with a muted cry as he ejaculated.

She kept her mouth closed tightly around him as he filled her mouth. He could feel his length swim in the amount of cum he was shooting inside her and her tongue swirled around him, soothing and calm, helping him ride out the orgasm until his cock stopped pulsing. At that point, she delicately retreated, keeping her lips sealed around him until they left him. She sat back on her heels, keeping her lips puckered and her cheeks puffed with glowy content. It was making her face glow. 

With the speed that his post orgasmic self could allow, Honey looked around, spotting a box of tissue on a shelf above the bed and flicked his hand in its general direction. The box, along with a random book or two, landed on the bed and he pulled himself up, grabbing a handful of tissue for her to spit in. When he turned around however, he found her kneeling on the bed, holding her hand to her mouth but her cheeks were… flat.

“Did…” he looked at her, incredulous. “Did you just swallow it?”

She nodded silently.

“Why did you…”

“I panicked,” she quietly said, hand still covering her lips. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

Honey choked on a chuckle. She really had never done this, hadn’t she? Was actually kind of endearing to know he was her first. But now he was curious. “Did you like it?”

She took a few seconds to think about it then nodded shyly. “Tasted… sweet and salty… like sea salted caramel,” she said pensively.

“You don’t say…” he commented, pensively. He kind of had expected her to say he tasted like honey. But it did concord with what he had been told before. Pushing those thoughts aside, Honey looked around, trying to spot if there were any glowing stains on the bed. “Well I guess the good thing is we don’t have to worry about having made a mess.”

His Queen gasped in realization. “Oh my God, I wasn’t even… What was I thinking?”

Honey chuckled. She had really forgotten where they were? Well he kind of did too, but it’s not like he had minded to begin with. There was no way he would ever deny her some intimate exploration, even if they weren’t at home. But she was different, and it seems it had taken her a few drinks to break that mental barrier. 

He shook his head, then took another look around before focusing back on his lovely Queen, his teeth pulling into a heated smile. “Will you allow me to return the favor, or you would rather go to sleep like a good and tamed little guest?”

From the look on her face, she honestly hesitated for about two seconds, but then shook her head. “No, I think we’ve been more than enough naughty for one evening. We should get to bed.”

Honey hummed, agreeing but a little disappointed. No biggie, they would have plenty more occasions. He watched as she got off the bed and shimmied out of her butterfly dress. He let his sockets train on the curve of her hips, enjoying the view of her tights being hugged by those thigh high stockings. How sexy would she look with only those on, legs spread for him, offering herself for him to devour. If she tasted half as good as she smelled right now, it would be quite the feast.

“Honey… s-stop staring.”

Honey shook himself out of the train of thoughts he had boarded. He looked up to find her, flush faced, holding an oversized nightshirt to her naked chest. She hadn’t taken off the stocking yet, but the shirt clashed with her still painted face. The colors were smudge and the artistically drawn wings were a thing of the past, colors mixing together in abstract pattern. Feeling his sockets drift downward back to her hips, Honey cleared his throat and hopped off the bed, grabbing the pair of pajama pants he had brought on his way to the door.

“Where are you going?”

Honey tilted his head back, giving her a once over before grinning, “If I keep looking at you while you change, I’m gonna get hard again.” He marveled at the deeper pink blush that bloomed on her cheek. Stars she was adorable. He slipped on his pants, hopping a few times into them, then smiled and nudged his chin toward the door. “So I’m gonna go get you a wet towel to wash off the makeup.” It was the least he could do.

She lifted her hand to her face, as if suddenly remembering the makeup was there and whispered a “ah... thank you.” Honey then unlocked the door, pulling it open to step in the corridor.

The house was silent, all the occupant and their guests having supposedly been tucked in bed for a while now. The bathroom was to the left, in front of the stairs, so he lazily shuffled that way only to stop when there was a rustling noise behind him. Half expecting his Queen to have stepped out of their room, he turned around and-

“Well hello there, Bug.”

Honey froze in place, staring at the pair of dark pink eyes watching him from the end of the corridor. A hand still on the handle of the door leading to the attic, Vivi smirked at him. She was wearing a dark purple dressing gown and he was unsure if she had been standing there when he had exited the room. She leaned on the wall, crossing her feathery arms in front of him.

“She didn’t make a mess I hope,” the bird said, the grin widening on her beak. “I aint cleaning up after you guys.”

“We didn’t!” Honey squeaked defensively. Stars had she heard them?

“Oh good. Monster alcohol isn't supposed to make humans sick, but I’ve heard it can happen.”

Sick..? Oh... Oh!

“No, she’s fine. We huh… I just wanted to grab a towel to clean up her makeup.”

“Mhmm,” Vivi hummed. He could see her eyes narrowing at him in the dark. “Her makeup... huh? To clean up yours as well I assume?”

Honey blinked at her, confused. Then with a sudden realization, he looked down at his bare chest. He hadn’t grabbed a shirt before stepping out, not really worried about anyone seeing him; even if they did, they had already seen him at the beach and all. No… What he saw looking down was the smeared spots of orange, yellow and black all over his rib cage where his Queen had rubbed her face on him while they were… while she was...

He felt the heat rise to his cheek bones as he lifted his face back to the monster. The hallway was dark, but she was a monster, and part owl too, of course she had seen it.

“Towels are in the cupboard left of the sink,” she simply said, the infuriating knowing smirk growing across her face. She turned to the attic door and cracked it open before pausing and winked at him, “Don’t stay up too late now, Love Bugs.”

  
  


And with that, she slipped through the door and went upstairs, leaving Honey Bee behind with only the burning glow on his cheek bones as company.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well well~ aren't they the naughty pair~?  
> There is so much happening in this, let me know your thoughts!  
> What did you think of the costumes picked?  
> Do you think Vivi minds their obvious little shenanigans?  
> How much does she know anyway?
> 
> To be honest, I haven't been to an actual party in sooooo long.  
> What games do you guys play at parties?
> 
> I have a few more chapters planned (ok, so maybe more like a dozen or so...), but I'm opening 3 chapters if you guys have ideas or want to see them try something in particular. These 'prompt' chapters are also open to possible to OCs appearances. If you're interested, give me a run down of a character or setting and I'll do my best!


	28. Happy Valentine's Day 2021

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little something to thank you for your patience while I work on the next chapter~

**Happy Valentine's Day~!**

Speedpaint available [Here](https://youtu.be/38HDRJu4PZ8)

https://youtu.be/38HDRJu4PZ8

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Human and the Bitty...?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27277294) by [Shinku130](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinku130/pseuds/Shinku130)




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